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Politico (4 July 2022)

Peter O'Brien

New faces signal a need to shore up support with coalition allies, but there’s little cross-party cooperation on the horizon.

France’s new Cabinet is a rebalancing act, not a sweeping transformation. With several new ministers from allied parties, but no major poaches from the opposition, the reshuffle aims to appease coalition partners, but won’t make running the country any easier. The previous government’s most problematic figure, Damien Abad, has been booted out, but some controversial figures remain.

Minister of Solidarity Abad, who was accused of rape, has been replaced by Jean-Christophe Combe — head of the French Red Cross. Abad said that he left the ministry with “great regret” and that his presumption of innocence was disregarded. International Development Minister Chrysoula Zacharopoulou faces allegations of sexual violence during medical examinations at her gynecology practice, but will remain in her job. The three ministers who lost in the parliamentary elections were also replaced, including the recently appointed Amélie de Montchalin, who was environment minister, and Health Minister Brigitte Bourguignon.

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