Departure of France’s Prime Minister - A few hours ahead of the departure of French Prime Minister Jean Castex from Matignon, several names are circulating in French media as possible replacements such as, that of Catherine Vautrin or even Valérie Létard. While the new Prime Minister should be known in the coming hours this Monday. The president has made it known that he aims to appoint a woman.
The name of Catherine Vautrin, the president of Grand Reims, is the one that circulated the most last weekend. Minister under the governments of Jean-Pierre Raffarin then Dominique de Villepin, this former Republican MP from Marne and vice-president of the National Assembly from 2008 to 2017, is close to Nicolas Sarkozy. She was even his spokesperson during the right-wing primary in 2016.
Valerie Letard centrist senator and former president of Valenciennes Métropole could also be considered. Former Secretary of State for Solidarity then for Green Technologies under François Hollande, Valérie Létard ticks the boxes of the ecological aspect sought after by the French Head of State.
And current Employment Minister Elisabeth Borne is one of the big favourites for the post. Borne was part of the then cabinet of Ségolène Royal, as Minister of Ecology, before becoming Minister of Transport in 2017 and then of Ecological Transition in 2019, could play in her favour.
Météo France has issued a yellow alert for mountain ranges in the Alpes-Maritimes due to an increased avalanche risk....
