Elisabeth Borne becomes France's first female prime minister in 30 years

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Élisabeth Borne, the French Minister for Labour, has been appointed Prime Minister – the first woman to hold the post in more than 30 years and only the second female prime minister in modern French history.

“I dedicate this nomination to all the little girls in France, to tell them, ‘Follow your dreams’,” Borne said while taking office. “Nothing should stop the fight for women’s place in our society.”

Borne, 61, an engineer with a long career in government ministries, the senior civil service, public administration and state businesses, was chosen by Emmanuel Macron for the difficult task of delivering his complex policy promises at the start of his second term, against a background of rising inflation and the war in Ukraine.

At: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/16/elisabeth-borne-becomes-frances-first-female-prime-minister-in-30-years

Incoming French Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne.

Borne comes from a centre-left background - crucial for Macron’s parliamentary election campaign.

She is the first French female prime minister since Édith Cresson, now 88, who briefly headed the cabinet in 1991-92 under President François Mitterrand.

[brush]

1. France has a prime minister and a president?

Last edited Tue May 17, 2022, 04:13 PM - Edit history (1)

How does that work? Isn't a prime minister the equivalent of a president?

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2. Good question

As I understand it, the Prime Minister is almost a co-president - who is free to choose his/her cabinet, and who actually has more say over domestic policy that the president himself (though the president retains most foreign policy prerogatives).

"Like a two-headed monster," as Margaret Thatcher tactlessly - but somewhat accurately - put it.

(to which the French replied: At least we don't 'ave our budgets vetoed by some Queen simply because we wouldn't fund repairs on her Land Rover).