On the eve of Christmas Eve, François Bayrou finally formed his government. The Secretary General of the Elysée Alexis Kohler announced this Monday, December 23, the list of new ministers. 35 in total, including 14 in full office, – far from the eternal promise of “tightened government” – in which we find a good number of personalities already present in the government of Michel Barnier, and others from previous executives.
Thus, this government will notably include two former Prime Ministers, Elisabeth Borne and Manuel Valls. The first will have National Education, Higher Education and Research in its portfolio. Manuel Valls, absent from any government function since his departure from Matignon in December 2016, inherits a very large portfolio overseas where he will notably have to manage the situation in Mayotte and New Caledonia.
Three months after leaving the Interior, Gérald Darmanin returned to the government, in charge of Justice, a position initially proposed by François Bayrou to Xavier Bertrand. He will work in tandem with Bruno Retailleau, reappointed to the Ministry of the Interior.
The centrist (MoDem) Jean-Noël Barrot and the macronist (Renaissance) Sébastien Lecornu were also kept in their posts, respectively in Foreign Affairs and the Armed Forces. Just like the ex-LR Rachida Dati, who remains Minister of Culture. Catherine Vautrin also remains in the government, but she moves from the Ministry of Territories to the portfolio of Health, Solidarity and Families.
Eric Lombard new Minister of the Economy
Another gigantic issue of this new government: the economy, and more particularly the vote on a budget as quickly as possible. This task will fall to the director of the Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations, Eric Lombard, who becomes Minister of the Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty.
He will be supported by the Macronist Amélie de Montchalin, in charge of Public Accounts, at a time when France is facing one of the worst budgetary crises in its recent history. Among the other economic portfolios, Laurent Marcangeli (Horizons) will be in charge of the Civil Service. Annie Genevard (LR) retains Agriculture.
Former ministers of François Hollande in the government
François Hollande’s former Minister of Labor, François Rebsamen, was appointed Minister of Regional Planning and Decentralization in the Bayrou government, with among his delegated ministers, another former socialist secretary of state, Juliette Méadel, in charge of the City.
François Rebsamen, 73, who has just resigned as mayor of Dijon, had been close to Macronie for several years, but still had his PS card. Juliette Méadel left the PS and joined the Progressive Federation in 2022, while getting closer to former socialist Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve.
Among the other notable names entering this government, we find in particular the one who was until now president of the Horizons deputies in the National Assembly, the Corsican Laurent Marcangeli, who becomes Minister of Public Action, Civil Service and of Simplification. Agnès Pannier-Runacher also returns to government, as Minister of Ecological Transition and Biodiversity, while former member of the Organizing Committee for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games Marie Barsacq has been appointed Minister of Sports.