France has its first female prime minister in 30 years

The Elysee Palace on May 16 announced that Ms. Elisabeth Borne was appointed as Prime minister France replaces Jean Castex, who previously submitted his resignation to President Emmanuel Macron.

This is said to help Mr. Macron fend off a challenge from the politician Jean-Luc Melenchon (who won third place in the recent presidential election), while also giving him the opportunity to practice. form a broad leftist coalition in parliamentary elections on June 12 and 19.

Borne went to the French Prime Minister’s Matignon residence in Paris to receive the handover. At the handover ceremony, Ms. Borne said: “Nothing can stop the struggle for women’s place in society. All little girls should fulfill their dreams.”

Prime Minister Borne during the handover ceremony in Paris, France, May 16. Photo: Reuters

According to Radio CNNBorne is the second woman to serve as prime minister of France since the end of World War II. The first one was Mrs. Édith Cresson, who held office from May 1991 to April 1992 under President François Mitterand.

Mrs. Cresson told the TV channel BFM: “It’s really time to have another woman in this position and I know Mrs. Borne as an outstanding person with a lot of experience. I think it’s a very good choice.”

President Macron and new Prime Minister Borne will meet to appoint a full new government in the next few days. According to an announcement from the Elysee Palace, Ms Borne will be in charge of forming the government.

In addition, her job will be to ensure that all government decisions are aligned with France’s emissions-cutting target, which has fallen behind for years. Besides scaling up policies to combat climate change, she will also advance President Macron’s campaign priorities, including pension reform.

During Ms Borne’s tenure as Labor Minister, the unemployment rate in France fell to its lowest level in 15 years. Photo: Reuters

Borne, 61, served as Transport Minister in 2017 and then briefly from 2019-2020 as Environment Minister. In 2020, she assumed the role of head of the Labor Department and oversaw negotiations with unions, which led to cuts in unemployment benefits for some job seekers.

According to the news agency Reutersduring Ms. Borne’s time as Labor Minister, unemployment in France fell to a 15-year low and youth unemployment fell to a 40-year low.

An official from the French president’s office described Borne as a leftist woman with deep understanding of the country, local politics and business. She is also described as having a soft voice.

One of her staff commented to Reuters: “It’s really a workaholic, someone who can work until 3 a.m. and come back to work at 7 a.m.”