Live: Macron reshuffles French cabinet, drops minister targeted in rape probe
French President Emmanuel Macron reshuffled his government on Monday after losing his majority in the National Assembly, notably dropping Damien Abad, the solidarity minister accused of attempted rape. Follow our liveblog to find out who’s in and who’s out of Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne’s cabinet. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).
2:30pm: Ousted minister slams ‘despicable slander’
Damien Abad, the outgoing solidarity minister targeted by a rape probe, has told reporters he is the victim of a “sinister campaign” of “despicable slander” designed to drive him out of government after just 45 days.
Abad said he was leaving his job “with a lot of regrets” but that it was for the best, so he could defend himself without it harming the government.
Paris prosecutors opened an investigation last week after a woman filed a criminal complaint accusing Abad of attempting to rape her.
Abad had previously firmly denied all accusations linked to rape and other sexual misconduct made by several women against him through the press.
He is not the only minister to have faced accusations of sexual misconduct.
Chrysoula Zacharopoulou, who has been accused by former patients of rape during gynaecological examinations, is staying on as state secretary for development, Francophony and international partnerships.
1:45pm: Opposition mocks ‘Macronist redoubt’
France’s emboldened opposition parties have rounded on the announcement of the reshuffled cabinet, saying it highlights Macron’s refusal – or his inability – to look beyond his narrowing circle of loyalists.
Boris Vallaud, the leading Socialist in the National Assembly, likened the cabinet to a “Macrono-Macronist redoubt”, while Mathilde Panot of the hard-left La France insoumise (France Unbowed) mocked a “game of musical chairs” among Macron stalwarts.
“In a mere press release, Emmanuel Macron announces the new government. Those who failed are all reappointed,” the far right’s Marine Le Pen tweeted, saying the president had “ignored” the demands of the French for a “different politics”.
Par un simple communiqué de presse, Emmanuel Macron annonce le nouveau gouvernement. Ceux qui ont échoué sont tous reconduits. Le Président de la République ignore ainsi une nouvelle fois le verdict des urnes et la volonté des Français d’une autre politique.
— Marine Le Pen (@MLP_officiel) July 4, 2022
“There’s no surprises here,” Communist Party chief Fabien Roussel told broadcaster LCI, saying he “feels like they’re just starting over again with the same people.”
1:15pm: Gender parity in government
Macron’s newly appointed government features perfect gender parity, with men and women in equal numbers (21 each) when counting junior ministers – though there are more men in the top cabinet positions.
Reporting from the Élysée Palace, James André takes us through the key appointments.
12:30pm: Greenpeace laments new minister’s lack of green credentials
The French branch of Greenpeace has criticised Christophe Béchu’s appointment as environment minister, pointing to his lack of a track record on the subject.
“Naming in such a key post a politician with no experience of the green transition (…) demonstrates a clear lack of ambition,” the NGO said in a statement.
Greenpeace also flagged the lack of stability at the environment ministry, which has seen six different ministers in five years.
Béchu, the mayor of Angers and a former member of the conservative Les Républicains, was previously appointed junior minister for local government, a position he held only a few weeks ahead of the latest reshuffle.
12:20am: Balance of power ‘unchanged’
“This government won’t change the balance of power in parliament,” says FRANCE 24’s politics editor Marc Perelman, noting that the new cabinet appointments are unlikely to woo opposition lawmakers in France’s hung parliament.
12:05pm: What’s next?
Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne is set to give her policy speech on Wednesday and could seek a vote of confidence in her new cabinet after that.
The left-wing opposition, which emerged strengthened from last month’s parliamentary polls, has said it will call a no-confidence vote if she does not.
Often a formality in a country accustomed to stable parliamentary majorities, the confidence vote will be a delicate step for Macron’s ruling coalition, which has lost its absolute majority in the National Assembly.
Macron has not announced any coalition pact with other parties to build a working majority nor poached any major names from the opposition.
11:45am: Top jobs unchanged
As expected, Macron is holding on to his top-ranking ministers, including Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, who also faced rape accusations and was recently under fire over the Champions League final fiasco in Saint-Denis.
Also staying on are Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu, Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti, Education Minister Pap Ndiaye and Labour Minister Olivier Dussopt.
11:25am: A new face for post-Brexit talks
Laurence Boone, the OECD’s chief economist, will be Britain’s new counterpart in post-Brexit talks following her appointment as Europe minister.
She takes over Clément Beaune, who switches to the transport ministry.
11:15am: Véran, face of Covid fight, becomes government spokesman
The French presidency has appointed former health minister Olivier Véran as government spokesperson, confirming those earlier media reports.
Véran takes over from Olivia Grégoire, who switches to the trade and tourism portfolio.
Franck Riester, the outgoing trade minister, will take on Véran’s current job as junior minister in charge of relations with parliament.
10:55am: Macron replaces trio of ministers defeated at the polls
On top of Abad’s exit, the Elysée Palace has announced three new appointements to replace ministers who were defeated in parliamentary elections last month.
- François Braun takes over as health minister, replacing Brigitte Bourguignon. Braun previously led Samu-Urgences, an association representing emergency health care workers.
- Christophe Béchu replaces Amélie de Montchalin as environment minister, a key portfolio for Macron, who has promised to put the transition to a green economy at the heart of his second term. Béchu previously served as junior minister for local government.
- Hervé Berville, a Breton lawmaker, is the new junior minister for the seas (in charge of fishing, among other things). He takes over from Justine Bénin, who lost her parliamentary seat in the French Caribbean.
10:45am: Abad dropped from cabinet
It’s official. Damien Abad is out of France’s government, replaced by Jean-Christophe Combe as minister for solidarity and social cohesion, according to an Elysée Palace statement.
Combe was previously head of the French Red Cross.
10:35am: All eyes on minister accused of attempted rape
All eyes will be on the fate of cabinet minister Damien Abad, the solidarity and social cohesion minister who has been accused of abuse by three separate women.
Prosecutors have opened a formal investigation into Abad after a woman accused him of attempted rape at a party in 2010.
Abad, who suffers from arthrogryposis, a rare condition that affects the joints, denies the allegations and has vowed to sue his accuser.
Newly appointed French minister Damien Abad denies rape accusations
Allegations against the 42-year-old in the run-up to parliamentary elections earlier in June were seen as one of several factors that led to Macron’s MPs losing their majority.
The president was criticised by a schoolgirl while in southern France on June 6 who asked him why he “put men at the head of state who are accused of rape and violence against women”.
Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin is also the subject of a rape complaint filed in 2017.
10:05am: Former health minister set for govt spokesman job, says BFM
Olivier Véran, who served as health minister during the Covid-19 pandemic, will take the goverment spokesman’s job, BFM TV has reported, without naming its source.
Véran, a technocrat, became visible to the public at large as a key minister who steered the country through the larger part of the health crisis.
He was appointed minister for relations with parliament following the presidential election in April.
9:50am: Finance minister to stay on
French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire has told France Inter radio that he will stay on in his current role.
That is no surprise, Le Maire being one of Macron’s most prominent ministers.
9:45am: An unavoidable reshuffle
The reshuffle has become necessary for Macron after some ministers were defeated in parliamentary elections last month, forcing them to step down, in line with French political tradition.
Some cabinet seats had also been vacant since Macron’s re-election in April.
But the scope of the overhaul may be larger, with Macron seeking to balance power in his own alliance and send a signal to voters he has heard their call for change.
>> Read more: After losing the majority, can Macron strike a deal with opposition parties?
