Hoping that the worst health aspects of the coronavirus crisis are behind him, Macron is turning his attention to the massive economic consequences that are still unfolding. How the president handles that aspect of the crisis will be a determining factor in his chances for reelection in 2022. And he doesn’t risk delegating that task to another powerful figure.
“There is a period of [socio-economic] reconstruction to lead, “said an official at Macron’s office.” [the president] he is leaving with a new man for a new phase in a new path that he has charted. “
But the details of this new path that Macron plans to take remain largely unknown even to cabinet members.
The government’s resignation remained firmly even within the cabinet. Ministers discovered only a few minutes before the public that a cabinet meeting scheduled for Friday morning had been canceled.
Despite pledging to reinvent himself since March and sending signals of change to focus more on green and social policies, Macron is doubling down on a course that is widely regarded as center-right in economic terms.
He has given up the opportunity to change tactics by appointing a non-conservative prime minister, or woman, as he indicated he wanted to do when he ran for president in 2017.
His choice of Castex indicates that Macron may be giving up trying to win back center-left voters, who have been disappointed by many of his policies in the past three years, but were an essential part of his unlikely success in 2017.
Castex was an adviser on social affairs in the cabinet of former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, before becoming Undersecretary General of the Elysée in 2011, a key post that Macron himself held.
The new prime minister began his political career with conservative heavyweight Xavier Bertrand, first as chief of staff in the health ministry and then in the labor ministry in the 2000s.
Castex has a lot in common with Philippe, its predecessor. Both were formerly members of the conservative Les Républicains party, are local elected officials and part of an elite circle of high-level officials.
However, Castex’s chief of staff will be Nicolas Revel, who has a socialist past, but is very close to Macron, as he worked alongside him as Undersecretary General of the Elysée under former President François Hollande. Macron had initially lobbied for Revel to be Philippe’s chief of staff.
In a ceremonial handover of power, both Philippe and Castex had very warm words to say about each other. “You will know how to face decisions that are sometimes difficult and make the right decisions,” Philippe told Castex.
Castex, speaking with a southern accent, notably began his speech by listing a long list of what he called Philippe’s accomplishments, including the lowest unemployment rate in a decade, as well as the government-imposed tax cut.
He also promised continuity in the new phase. “A new stage is beginning, it is dictated by a new context … the health crisis is unfortunately not over,” said Castex. “We will need more than ever to fight this crisis that is taking hold and, in particular, continue with the reforms they implement to make sure that we come out stronger and more united.”
Macron made his move to remodel his government after his La République En Marche (LREM) suffered a major defeat in Sunday’s local elections, where the Greens swept big cities while incumbent Conservative and Socialist mayors took their seats.
“You can build a smooth dialogue with the territories,” said the official in Macron’s office, highlighting Castex’s strengths.
The composition of the new government is expected to be revealed next week, with the first cabinet meeting scheduled for Wednesday.
