GOVERNMENT. Elisabeth Borne is responsible for convincing the opposition to form a government of action. Does this mean that ministers from the opposition will be appointed to the executive? Both the left and the right still refuse the proposal.
[Mis à jour le 27 juin 2022 à 11h01] Heading for a “new government of action”. Now that Emmanuel Macron has renewed his confidence in Elisabeth Borne in an interview given toAFP on June 25, the President and the head of government set themselves a new objective and are increasing their exchanges with the opposition to coax it. From this Monday, June 27 and until Thursday, the date of the Head of State’s return to France, the Prime Minister must meet with the representatives of the various parliamentary groups deemed likely to join “government agreements”: “This will be communists in the LR”, specified the head of state. The National Rally and insubordinate France are therefore already excluded from possible governmental cooperation. According to Emmanuel Macron, “by their expression, their positioning, these formations do not register as parties of government.”
What do the expressions “government agreements” and “action government” hide? The project is still vague but according to the contours the appointment of ministers from the opposition within the executive could be a track. In the course of discussions with the opposition, Elisabeth Borne must question the political leaders about their willingness to take part in “government agreements” but also about their possible participation in the government. The proposal is attractive but it comes with conditions and the maintenance of certain reforms such as that of pensions is not negotiable, so neither the Republicans, nor the Socialists, nor the Ecologists, nor the Communists seem to want to grasp the outstretched hand by the presidential majority still seeking support. “Participating in such a government is not at all on the agenda”, assured Fabien Roussel this morning on CNews while the socialist Valérie Rabault recalled on France info the PS’s refusal to join a coalition with the majority. She added that negotiations on government agreements similar to those experienced by the German parliament should take several months and not days. Yet Emmanuel Macron intends to reach compromises and agreements this week to set up the new government “in the first days of July”.
Will there be a Borne 2 government?
“I have decided to confirm my confidence in Elisabeth Borne”. Emmanuel Macron has chosen an unprecedented voice to reappoint his Prime Minister for the next five years. Without resignation and without a new appointment, Elisabeth Borne was confirmed in her duties at Matignon with a simple statement from the Head of State in an interview for theAFP June 25. It is therefore a Borne 2 government which is being prepared and this time it involves negotiations with the opposition. Emmanuel Macron wants the Borne government to be a “new government of action” and to work in cooperation with the opposition, “from the communists to the LR”.
The Borne 2 government has yet to pass the test of the Prime Minister’s vote of confidence in the National Assembly or the motion of censure promised by rebellious France. During negotiations with the opposition, Elisabeth Borne must make sure to receive the confidence of the Republican, Socialist, Ecologist and Communist parliamentary groups after her general policy speech to avoid a reversal of the government. A scenario that remains unlikely even with a motion of censure.
When will the next government be appointed?
The Borne 2 government could see the light of day in “the first days of July”, at least that is what Elisabeth Borne and Emmanuel Macron hope. But the birth of the “government of action” also depends on the answers of the opposition parties when asked about their willingness to cooperate with the presidential majority. Will the politicians be able to agree in a week? The bet is difficult to take since both the right and the left refuse to serve as “crutches” of power. “It is not in the interest of the parties which have just been elected” to conclude agreements or to get closer to the majority according to Marc Lazar, director of the Center for the History of Sciences Po, recalls BFM TV. The researcher explains that agreements would risk “deeply dividing” the parties that would take part in them.
Does the opposition want to join the Borne 2 government?
Coalition or government agreement and now “government of action”, the executive has used several expressions to invite the opposition political parties to cooperate or even take part in the government. Regardless of the name given to it, the right and the left seem resistant to a rapprochement with the presidential majority even if it opens the doors of certain ministries. While Elisabeth Borne must, once again, meet with the representatives of the opposition forces from June 27, all voices are raised to refuse the coalition. On the right, the government hopes to get along with the Republicans but the new president of the LR group in the National Assembly, Olivier Marleix explained this Monday on European 1 that “the members of [son] group say to themselves that they will collectively weigh much more in the destiny of France by remaining united than by selling themselves individually”. France Inter. The former minister clarified to reassure his political family that it is not a question of renouncing their policy: “The goal of a right-wing government must be to govern but not to compromise (… ) I say it all the more that I am not a candidate to enter the government.
The government is no more successful with the forces of the left. Fabien Roussel, who explains that if progress is made his group will not be in a blocking strategy in the Assembly, assured this June 27 on C news that the Communists “do not [peuvent] not take part in a government which maintains the logic of continuing to defend the interests of a minority, the class of the wealthy, by refusing to reinstate the wealth tax, the increase in salaries and pensions, and which is even considering push back the retirement age”. On the side of the ecologists, Julien Bayou affirmed on LCI that there is “nothing that could suppose a coalition” in the government. While the Socialists purely and simply exclude agreements with the majority and on the program of Emmanuel Macron.
Which ministers will leave the government?
If the date of the appointment of the future government is not fixed, we already know some of the changes that will be made. Three current ministers will be absent from the next government: Brigitte Bourguignon, Minister of Health, Justine Benin, Secretary of State for the Sea and Amélie de Montchalin, Minister of Ecological Transition and Cohesion. By replacing the latter, the executive will have to choose who will become the sixth head of government. All three know that they will soon have to resign because of their defeat in their constituency during the legislative elections.
The government should also do without the Minister of Overseas, Yaël Braun-Pivet. The minister was re-elected as a deputy and since June 22 is the official candidate of the presidential majority for the presidency of the National Assembly. However, the walker will have to make a choice between Perchoir and Overseas, a decision which seems to have already been made. These are therefore four ministers who are preparing to leave the government, which is moreover four women, a detail that will certainly be taken into account during the composition of the next government to respect or approach parity. Other departures and replacements could be announced when the government is appointed, but for the time being it is impossible to predict which ones.
What is the composition of the Borne government?
The Borne government was appointed on May 20, 2022, four weeks after Emmanuel Macron’s re-election as president and only a month before the legislative elections, the results of which often augur changes in the composition of the government. The legislative election has since passed and if changes will indeed take place, such as the replacement of the Minister for Ecological Transition, the Minister of Health and the Secretary of State for the Sea, for the time being none have been formalized. Find by following the complete list of ministers appointed to the Borne government.
The list of ministers:
- Minister of Economy, Finance and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty: Bruno Le Maire
- Minister of the Interior: Gérald Darmanin
- Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs: Catherine Colonna
- Keeper of the Seals, Minister of Justice: Eric Dupond-Moretti
- Minister for Ecological Transition and Territorial Cohesion: Amélie de Montchalin
- Minister of National Education and Youth: Pap Ndiaye
- Minister of the Armed Forces: Sébastien Lecornu
- Minister of Health: Brigitte Bourguignon
- Minister of Labour, Full Employment and Integration: Olivier Dussopt
- Minister of Solidarity, Autonomy and People with Disabilities: Damien Abad
- Minister of Higher Education and Research: Sylvie Retailleau
- Minister of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty: Marc Fesneau
- Minister of Transformation and Public Service: Stanislas Guerini
- Overseas Minister: Yaël Braun-Pivet
- Minister of Culture: Rima Abdul Malak
- Minister for Energy Transition: Agnès Pannier-Runacher
- Minister of Sports and the Olympic and Paralympic Games: Amélie Oudéa-Castéra
The list of delegate ministers:
- Minister in charge of Relations with Parliament and Democratic Life: Olivier Véran
- Minister responsible for Gender Equality, Diversity and Equal Opportunities: Isabelle Rome
- Minister of Public Accounts: Gabriel Attal
- Minister in charge of Local Authorities: Christophe Béchu
- Minister in charge of Foreign Trade and Attractiveness: Franck Riester
- Minister in charge of Europe: Clément Beaune
List of Secretaries of State:
- Secretary of State, Government Spokesperson: Olivia Grégoire
- Secretary of State, in charge of Children: Charlotte Caubel
- Secretary of State, in charge of Development, Francophonie and International Partnerships: Chrysoula Zacharopoulou
- Secretary of State, in charge of the Sea: Justine Benin