French prime minister resigns ahead of expected government reshuffle
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Jan. 8 (UPI) -- French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Monday that he had accepted the resignation of the country's prime minister.
Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne -- who was appointed to the job in May 2022 after Macron won his second term -- is only the second woman prime minister to lead the French government.
News of the decision about her job comes as a government reshuffling is expected later this summer amid June's European Union parliamentary elections and the challenges they could present for Macron.
Her successor was not named.
Macron gave thanks to Borne, 62, for her "examplary" service to France as head of the Council of Ministers.
"You have put our project into effect with the courage, engagement and the determination of a stateswoman," Macron posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The June EU parliamentary election comes at a time when France is months away from global attention on the nation as it hosts the 2024 Olympic Games. It also comes after the 2022 election defeat by Macron's party, which resulted in the loss of a majority in the lower House of the French parliament. That, in turn, forced Borne to work closely with opposition forces, which sent approval ratings down.
Among the possible replacements for Borne's post are Education Minister Gabriel Attal -- the rumored frontrunner who would be France's youngest and the first openly gay prime minister -- or Armed Forces Minister Sebastien Lecornu or ex-Agriculture Minister Julien Denormandie.
