AA / Paris / Ümit Dönmez
Michel Barnier’s government has been announced after more than two weeks of speculation. In a brief statement on Saturday, Alexis Kohler, secretary general of the Elysée, revealed the main members of the new cabinet.
Thus, the Elysée confirmed the appointment of the leader of the Republican senators, Bruno Retailleau (LR) to the Ministry of the Interior, while Didier Migaud, until then president of the High Authority for Transparency in Public Life, will take the reins of Justice.
Antoine Armand, Renaissance MP, will now be in charge of the Economy and Finance, while Jean-Noël Barrot, vice-president of the MoDem, will be in charge of Foreign Affairs.
Rachida Dati (LR) retains Culture and Sébastien Lecornu (Renaissance) remains head of the Armed Forces. Anne Genetet (Renaissance) becomes Minister of National Education and Geneviève Darrieussecq (MoDem) takes charge of Health.
Matignon has announced that the transfer of power could take place as early as Sunday evening or Monday morning, before the first Council of Ministers scheduled for Monday afternoon.
– The reactions
The announcement comes amid a tense social climate. On Saturday, several demonstrations were held in Paris, Marseille, Nice and Toulouse, with thousands of protesters expressing their discontent with the Macron-Barnier tandem.
In Paris, the marches, supported by associations such as Greenpeace and Nous Toutes, as well as high school student unions and left-wing parties such as La France Insoumise, reflect growing opposition to this new government.
The government’s announcement now opens the way to many challenges for Michel Barnier, including that of re-establishing a “peaceful dialogue” with the various political and social forces, according to Matignon.
In a scathing tweet, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of La France Insoumise, was quick to react to the announcement of the new government. “The cast of the new Macronist disaster movie is known,” he wrote, denouncing a “government of the losers of the legislative elections.”
Mélenchon particularly attacks Bruno Retailleau, described as a “worrying Minister of the Interior”, and criticizes the latter’s domination over the LR group in the Senate, which he believes will play a decisive role in the future of the texts carried by the majority. The rebellious leader concludes by calling for “getting rid” of this combination “without legitimacy or future”.
Jordan Bardella, president of the National Rally, also castigated the formation of the new government in a sharp tweet. “This ‘new’ government signals the return of Macronism through a back door,” he said, denouncing a return to practices that he believes are rejected by voters.
Bardella criticizes “games of apparatus and political calculations” which, according to him, contradict the choices expressed by the French during the last elections. He concludes by affirming that this government, devoid of legitimacy according to him, “has no future”.
– Complete list of the Barnier Government
• Didier Migaud, Keeper of the Seals, Minister of Justice
• Catherine Vautrin, Minister for Partnership with the Territories and Decentralization
• Bruno Retailleau, Minister of the Interior
• Anne Genetet, Minister of National Education
• Jean-Noël Barrot, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs
• Rachida Dati, Minister of Culture and Heritage
• Sébastien Lecornu, Minister of the Armed Forces and Veterans
• Agnès Pannier-Runacher, Minister of Ecological Transition, Energy, Climate and Risk Prevention
• Antoine Armand, Minister of Economy, Finance and Industry
• Geneviève Darrieussecq, Minister of Health and Access to Care
• Paul Christophe, Minister of Solidarity, Autonomy and Equality between Women and Men
• Valérie Létard, Minister of Housing and Urban Renewal
• Annie Genevard, Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry
• Astrid Panosyan-Bouvet, Minister of Labor and Employment
• Gil Avérous, Minister of Sports, Youth and Community Life
• Patrick Hetzel, Minister of Higher Education and Research
• Guillaume Kasbarian, Minister of Civil Service, Simplification and Transformation of Public Action
• François-Noël Buffet, Minister to the Prime Minister, responsible for Overseas Territories
• Laurent Saint-Martin, Minister to the Prime Minister, responsible for the Budget and Public Accounts.
Ministers Delegate:
• Benjamin Haddad, responsible for Europe
• Nathalie Delattre, responsible for Relations with Parliament
• Maud Bregeon, Government spokesperson
• Marie-Claire Carrère-Gée, responsible for Government Coordination
• Françoise Gatel, responsible for Rurality, Commerce and Crafts
• François Durovray, responsible for Transport
• Fabrice Loher, responsible for the Sea and Fisheries
• Nicolas Daragon, responsible for daily security
• Alexandre Portier, responsible for Academic Success and Professional Education
• Sophie Primas, responsible for Foreign Trade and French Nationals Abroad
• Marc Ferracci, responsible for Industry
• Marie-Agnès Poussier-Winsback, responsible for the Social and Solidarity Economy, Profit-Sharing and Participation
• Marina Ferrari, responsible for the Tourism Economy
• Olga Givernet, Energy Officer
• Agnès Canayer, responsible for Family and Early Childhood
Secretaries of State:
• Othman Nasrou, responsible for Citizenship and the Fight against Discrimination
• Thani Mohamed Soilihi, responsible for Francophonie and international partnerships
• Laurence Garnier, responsible for Consumption
• Salima Saa, responsible for Equality between women and men
• Clara Chappaz, responsible for Artificial Intelligence and Digital
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