London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Oct 06, 2025

French president reshuffles Cabinet after election losses

French president reshuffles Cabinet after election losses

French President Emmanuel Macron rearranged his Cabinet on Monday after losing his parliamentary majority, and called on his new government to “stand strong” amid Russia’s war in Ukraine and “transform” the heavily indebted French economy.

The new government includes familiar faces from Macron’s centrist alliance and the center-right, but none from the far-left and far-right parties that are now the main opposition forces in France’s National Assembly.

At a Cabinet meeting after the announcement, Macron urged ministers to “stand strong in the context of a war that has a profound impact on many things. I think it wasn’t sufficiently taken into account in France’s public debate.”

His government plans to present a bill addressing growing public concerns about soaring cost of living, but his opponents say Macron is out of touch with the day-to-day pain of inflation.

After France spent heavily to help the economy weather pandemic shutdowns and soften the blow of high energy prices worsened by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Macron warned Monday that “progress can rarely be financed with unsupported debt or at least unsustainable debt.”

He said the government would focus on environmental challenges and “great demographic transitions” and work with local officials, companies and citizens to “transform profoundly our collective action.”

One of Macron’s most controversial plans is to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 or 65. His government argues it’s needed to avoid bankrupting the state in a country with one of the world’s highest life expectancies. Macron’s chief political rivals oppose the plan as threatening France’s social model.

The government reshuffle comes six weeks after Macron appointed Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne to lead a new government coalition at the outset of the president’s second term. Macron — and French presidents before him — had set a rule before the parliamentary vote: Only ministers who retain their seats will remain in government posts.

Three out of Macron’s 15 ministers failed to be reelected and were replaced Monday.

Christophe Bechu is the new environment minister, an important job as the EU pushes for more aggressive emissions cuts, and came under quick criticism from activists who questioned his credentials. Francois Braun is now in charge of the health ministry, a high-profile post as COVID-19 cases spike anew.

In addition, Damien Abad, the minister of policies for the disabled who is under investigation for rape and sexual misconduct, has been replaced by Jean-Christophe Combe, former director general of the French Red Cross.

Allegations of sexual misconduct against Abad emerged just days after Borne, only the second woman in French history to have been appointed prime minister, announced her new government. Abad firmly denies the allegations.

The allegations were particularly embarrassing for the new prime minister and the president, who both claim to be champions of women’s rights and have pledged “zero tolerance” for sexual misconduct.

Two other ministers who have been accused of rape kept their jobs.

Macron’s Together! alliance won the most seats in the National Assembly in the election last month, but fell 44 seats short of a majority in France’s most powerful house of parliament as voters opted for the leftist Nupes coalition and the far-right National Rally of Marine Le Pen.

With the most seats at the National Assembly, his government still has the ability to rule, but only by bargaining with legislators. To prevent the deadlock, Macron’s Renaissance party and allies may try to negotiate on a case-by-case basis with lawmakers from the center-left and from the conservative party.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
OpenAI and AMD Forge Landmark AI-Chip Alliance with Equity Option
Munich Airport Reopens After Second Drone Shutdown
France Names New Government Amid Political Crisis
Trump Stands Firm in Shutdown Showdown and Declares War on Drug Cartels — Turning Crisis into Opportunity
Surge of U.S. Billionaires Transforms London’s Peninsula Apartments into Ultra-Luxury Stronghold
Pro Europe and Anti-War Babiš Poised to Return to Power After Czech Parliamentary Vote
Jeff Bezos Calls AI Surge a ‘Good’ Bubble, Urges Focus on Lasting Innovation
Japan’s Ruling Party Chooses Sanae Takaichi, Clearing Path to First Female Prime Minister
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Sentenced to Fifty Months in Prison Following Prostitution Conviction
Taylor Swift’s ‘Showgirl’ Launch Extends Billion-Dollar Empire
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
×