Elisabeth Borne joins the ranks of the National Assembly this Tuesday, February 13 as a deputy.
Elisabeth Borne was replaced by Gabriel Attal on January 9 at Matignon. After her departure, the former head of government made a short stay in Marrakech to take a break which would have done her the greatest good. “Having a little moment of breathing, after almost seven years without interruption in government… Yes, it feels good,” she confided to Le Parisien.
Back in Paris, Elisabeth Borne quickly picked up her political reflexes. She increased the number of meetings. She notably spoke with François Bayrou, president of Modem, who ultimately refused to join the government, Gérald Darmanin, still Minister of the Interior and even Edouard Philippe, leader of Horizons. She also shared a moment with the President of the National Assembly, Yaël Braun-Pivet.
Elisabeth Borne will also return to the Assembly this Tuesday, February 13, 36 days after her departure from Matignon. She returns to the benches of Parliament, this time as a simple deputy. Elisabeth Borne had, in fact, won the election in the sixth constituency of Calvados in June 2022 but had never been able to occupy her elected position, since she had been appointed to Matignon. At the beginning of February, she prepared for this return by going to her constituency and more precisely to Condé-en-Normandie. She notably visited a market and inaugurated a school.
Elisabeth Borne will also sit on the Foreign Affairs Committee. If the former head of government seems ready to make her return, she will be able to take advantage of her new office which would be “one of the most comfortable” according to Franceinfo. This is the one usually attributed to former Prime Ministers.
A return with clear objectives?
However, some members of the government would have doubted Elisabeth Borne’s true desire to occupy this position. According to RMC, a minister would have feared a drop in motivation: “Having been at the top of the decision and finding yourself there, it will not be easy”, he anticipated to our colleagues. Still according to RMC, those close to her would, conversely, have assured that she would be “very enthusiastic” to continue in the Assembly and that she would see out this mandate.
Elisabeth Borne would thus have objectives in mind when seeking this new place in the Assembly. A ministerial advisor assured l’Express that Elisabeth Borne had acquired “a taste for politics” and wanted to “influence the 2027 line and be attentive to ensuring that the central bloc remains”. She had also affirmed in the assessment of her action at the head of the executive that it would be necessary to be “vigilant” during the European elections which will take place in June.