PARIS – French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe and his government resigned on Friday when President Emmanuel Macron pledged to reinvent his administration and win back disappointed voters before a possible bid for reelection in 2022.
Macron’s office said a new prime minister will be appointed in the next few hours.
Questions about Philippe’s work have arisen since mid-June when Macron, whose term of office has less than two years to run, declared that he wanted to reelect his presidency as France seeks to recover from the coronavirus crisis.
“Edouard Philippe today handed over his government’s resignation to the President of the Republic, who accepted it,” the Elysee said in a statement.
Philippe and his ministers will handle government affairs until a new cabinet is appointed, the statement added.
Macron’s move to reshape his centrist government comes after voters punished the former investment banker and his party in nationwide municipal elections on June 28.
The elections revealed growing support for the Green Party and underscored Macron’s problems with leftist voters. The only bright spot for Macron was Philippe’s own victory in the northern port city of Le Havre.
With just 21 months until the next presidential election, Macron wants to reposition himself, close aides say.
He is betting on replacing Philippe, who is more popular with the public than the president, political analysts say. The prime minister showed firm loyalty during waves of unrest and could emerge as a presidential rival in 2022.
But keeping Philippe in office would also have been problematic. He could have suggested that Macron was too weak to let his prime minister go and that his young party lacked the depth to allow a full cabinet overhaul.
