The rumoured forthcoming reshuffle of Emmanuel Macron’s French government appears to have arrived, as his Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne hands in her resignation amid strong polling for Marine Le Pen’s right-wing populists.
Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne offered her resignation from the French government on Monday, apparently at Macron’s request, a move that follows speculation in the press about a government reshuffle and after months of controversy over her handling of President Macron’s immigration reforms and her riding roughshod over democratic norms in other areas. Borne had invoked article 49.3 of the French constitution in March 2023, the “nuclear option” allowing the government to pass laws without needing a vote in Parliament, in effect allowing Macron is flex total executive power.
Several political figures in France made references to Borne’s use of article 49.3 in their responses to her departure from power, indicating the massive impact the act had on French politics. As reported by French newspaper Le Figaro, MPs from both the left and right of French politics spoke of 49.3 in relation to Borne’s departure today, with left-wing populist Mathilde Panot saying she left behind a “damaged democracy”.
Borne used article 49.3 23 times in a little less than two years.
While Macron won a second term in office in 2022, he has struggled to improve his public image after crisis over migration and pension age reforms which brought widespread protests and riots. Latest polling puts Macron’s party in third place, behind the left wing and — polling first place consistently since last summer — Marine Le Pen’s populist-right National Rally.
The Associated Press notes the purported reshuffle comes ahead of this year’s European Union elections, in which right-wing parties are predicted to do well across Europe. In France as it was in Britain where Nigel Farage’s thunderously strong performances in the European Parliament elections were big enough events to change government policy and even bring down a Prime Minister, a resounding right-wing victory could be seriously dangerous to the Macron government.