The bitter experience of Élisabeth Borne at Matignon, between rumors of homosexuality and sexist remarks

POLITICS – Élisabeth Borne refuses to talk about“Hell of Matignon”. It was the name of a book written by the journalist Raphaëlle Bacqué who told, in 2008, how successive Prime Ministers left their positions exhausted. For the ex-prefect, hell, the real one, is that experienced by her father, a Jew of Russian origin, survivor of Auschwitz and Buchenwald. However, his twenty months spent in the highest echelons of the State were not easy.

In a book published this Wednesday, April 23, Élisabeth Borne looks back on this long period marked by unpopular reforms (pensions, immigration, etc.) and stabs in the back. “When you are a woman, in politics, you are looked at differently: you are criticized for your outfit, for your look, for the way you eat”she explained at the microphone of France Inter.

The former Prime Minister's appetite has been analyzed and dissected from all angles. The one who explained that she was “quasi-vegetarian” was not known for being a big eater, and had notably imposed a vegetarian meal once a week on Matignon. The comparisons were cruel with a Jacques Chirac much more inclined to the fork, happy to rush down the stands of the Salon de l'Agriculture to taste sometimes platters of cheese, sometimes a calf's head. “You are constantly referred to masculine codes. Women who want to get involved in politics are confronted with this sexism which persists”tranche Borne.

There were also rumors about his sexuality: some attributed a relationship with former Secretary of State Clotilde Valter. Which she has always denied, revealing that she is in a relationship. Except that the name of her alleged companion, Patrice Obert, is in reality… in a civil partnership with another woman. This is what the book revealed The Secret by Bérangère Bonte, whose publication Élisabeth Borne tried to prevent, at least with these passages about her private life.

“Incomprehensible rumors”

On France Inter this October 23, the engineer by training does not move one iota. “These permanent rumors were incomprehensibleshe confided. Lots of women and men in politics have no problem saying they are homosexual: if I had been, I would have had no problem saying it.”. She even explains that she found this “incredible as one can imagine” that she is a lesbian. In her book she writes: “ I have every reason to believe that my own political camp launched them “. Before adding: “ Advisors, some of whom give themselves importance by suggesting that they know more than others, or who are sometimes guided by remote control, and personalities from the majority who do not know me well must have said to themselves that this would make my more interesting “character”. »

The hardest part was undoubtedly his forced departure from Matignon. She didn't really understand why it had to be replaced at all costs. “In business, when you have good results and an operating account that is going well, you impose yourself. In politics, the rules are less clear”exposes the one who still does not really digest her eviction.

Thanked by Emmanuel Macron at the beginning of January, Élisabeth Borne assures that she was immediately “struck” by the comments of those who recalled that she had lasted longer than Edith Cresson. “There are two categories of Prime Minister: the real ones, the men, and then the women”ends up saying the current member of Parliament for Calvados. An episode which translates once again in his eyes, “a form of sexism that remains very present in politics”.

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