French President Emmanuel Macron’s new Government is not “right-wing”, the main spokesperson for its Cabinet has claimed.
Prisca Thévenot rejected the idea that the recent ministerial reshuffle ousting former prime minister Élisabeth Borne had shifted the Macron administration to the Right.
“I don’t have the impression that this is a right-wing Government,” she told French media.
Thévenot added that the administration would be “steadfast” in supporting the President and would continue to oppose more radical politics on the Left and Right.
“We are united, and united behind a man called Emmanuel Macron,” she said, describing those against him as “extreme forces who have only one ambition, which is to prepare for the next elections”.
“What has united us from the start is this desire to act pragmatically in a country that is changing extremely quickly,” she added.
French President Emmanuel Macron named 34-year-old Education Minister Gabriel Attal as his new prime minister on Tuesday. Attal becomes the youngest and first openly gay prime minister in French history. https://t.co/sTVmblQywY
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) January 9, 2024
Thévenot’s statement follows claims Macron’s recent reshuffle is an attempt to move his administration to the Right, with many pointing to his appointment of Gabriel Attal as Prime Minister and comparing the 34-year-old to a young Macron during the era of former president François Hollande.
Replacing the Socialist-orientated Borne, Attal has presided over the appointment of right-leaning politicians to positions of power, including former member of Les Republicains, Rachida Dati, as France’s new culture minister.
Those who remain in Cabinet include Gérald Darmanin, with the right-leaning politician maintaining his position as Minister of the Interior.
Despite that, a few days ago Darmanin hinted he may soon resign from the post after the Paris Summer Olympics.
According to the minister, that will mark the end of a “cycle” for the position, a statement interpreted by most observers as a sign he will then move on from the job.
France’s new Government under openly gay Prime Minister Gabriel Attal has some other notable figures in its ranks causing feathers to be ruffled. ⬇️ https://t.co/k4OIQLbesV
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) January 12, 2024
