Following several days of heated backroom maneuvering, 34-year-old Education Minister Gabriel Attal was beginning to take the lead in replacing Borne, whose replacement has not yet been announced.
In an attempt to inject fresh energy into the last three years of his presidency, President Emmanuel Macron announced the resignation of French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne on Monday.
Analysts believe that the reorganization is necessary to salvage Macron’s centrist presidency for the final three years and keep him from turning into a “lame duck” leader following a string of setbacks.
Macron has encountered opposition to unpopular pension reforms, the loss of his overall majority in parliamentary elections, and controversies around immigration legislation since he overcame the extreme right to gain a second term in 2022.
“Ms Elisabeth Borne today submitted the resignation of the government to the president, who accepted it,” the presidency mentioned in a statement.
The second woman to head the French government, Borne, 62, has persevered through these challenges but has never allayed concerns about her future.
On X, Macron expressed his gratitude to her for her “work in the service of our nation that has been exemplary every day”
In addition to Attal, 37-year-old Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu and 43-year-old former Minister of Agriculture Julien Denormandie are potential successors to Borne.
