Published: Just now
French President Emmanuel Macron is reshuffling his government. A minister who has been accused of rape will be replaced in his post.
Damien Abad managed to be the so-called solidarity minister for almost a month and a half. As such, it is responsible for, among other things, the rights of the disabled and issues concerning national affiliation.
The day after he was appointed, the site Mediapart reported that two women accused Abad of abuse that should have been committed ten and twelve years ago, respectively. In both cases, the investigations were dropped due to lack of evidence. Damien Abad denies having committed any crimes.
The Director General of the French Red Cross, Jean-Christope Combe, will take over as Minister of Solidarity.
There are more rockades happening in the French government. EU Minister Clément Beaune becomes Minister of Transport. The new EU Minister will be Laurence Boone, who until now has been chief economist at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Minister of the Environment Amélie de Montchalin lost her mandate in the parliamentary elections and will be replaced by Christophe Bechu, who is mayor of the city of Angers.
Macron’s election alliance won the most seats in the parliamentary elections a couple of weeks ago, but lost the majority that the president’s government has previously been able to lean on in the National Assembly.