San Francisco Frontiers - Macron names new foreign, defence ministers in cabinet shake-up

France's ambassador to London, Catherine Colonna, was picked as foreign minister, making her only the second woman to hold the prestigious job.

Sebastien Lecornu, former minister for overseas territories, was promoted to the defence ministry, Macron's chief of staff Alexis Kohler announced at the presidential palace.

The changes amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine are likely to raise eyebrows, though Macron has taken the lead role in managing France's response to the invasion.

The newly re-elected head of state needs a parliamentary majority in polls next month in order to push through his domestic reform agenda which includes welfare and pension changes, as well as tax cuts.

The biggest surprise came in the education ministry where renowned left-wing academic Pap Ndiaye, an expert on colonialism and race relations, will take over from right-winger Jean-Michel Blanquer.

Ndiaye first gained national prominence with his 2008 work "The Black Condition, an essay on a French minority".

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen called his elevation "the last step in the deconstruction of our country, its values and its future".

- Delays -

Macron on Monday named former labour minister Elizabeth Borne as prime minister, the first time a woman has held France's top cabinet job in more than 30 years and only the second time in history.

Opposition figures had accused the president of deliberately delaying naming a new cabinet, almost four weeks since his re-election on April 24, when he defeated far-right leader Le Pen.

The issue has been the subject of feverish media coverage in recent days, overshadowing the parliamentary campaign and drowning out opposition parties.

Macron's centrist LREM party, allied with the centrist MoDem and centre-right Horizons among others, is expected to face its biggest challenge from a rejuvenated left-wing next month.

Head of the France Unbowed party, Jean-Luc Melenchon, is eyeing a comeback in the parliamentary elections on June 12 and 19 after finishing third in the presidential polls.

Melenchon has persuaded the Socialist, Communist and Greens parties to enter an alliance under his leadership that unites the left around a common platform for the first time in decades.

He said the new government represented "neither audacity nor renewal. All dull and grey".

"In one month everything will change," he added.

- Recruits -

As with previous Macron governments, the cabinet is evenly split between men and women, but has a new emphasis on environmental protection which has been named as a policy priority.

The cabinet will feature separate ministers for "ecological transition" as well "energy transition", with campaign groups such as Greenpeace urging Macron to match his rhetoric with actions.

The president has also continued his habit of attracting talent from opposition parties, with senior Republicans party MP Damien Abad named as minister for solidarity, autonomy and handicapped people.

Abad, 42, is the son of a miner from Nimes in southern France and became the first handicapped MP to be elected in 2012.

He has arthrogryposis, a rare condition that affects the joints.

Elsewhere in the government, Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire and hard-line Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin both remain in their positions.

- Veteran ambassador -

New foreign minister Colonna is a veteran ambassador, former government spokeswoman under late president Jacques Chirac and one-time minister of European affairs.

In a highly unusual step, she was summoned by the British government in October 2021 as Paris and London clashed over fishing rights in the Channel.

"I wanted to thank everyone who understood we are friends of this country and will keep working for a better future," she wrote on Twitter in a valedictory message on Friday.

She will replace veteran Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, while Lecornu takes over defence from Florence Parly.

France has promised to step up its weapons supplies to Ukraine which include Milan anti-tank missiles as well as Caesar howitzers.

E.Walker--SFF