Can the appointment of a woman as prime minister be called historic?
It is in any case extremely rare in the history of French politics.
So much so that Elisabeth Borne, appointed by Emmanuel Macron on Monday, is only the second to hold this position.
His only predecessor, Edith Cresson, was in office from May 1991 to April 1992.
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Already at the time, his coming to Matignon was the result of an unprecedented choice.
From the Fifth Republic until then, only men had had the privilege of putting down their suitcases on rue de Varenne.
Two under General de Gaulle - Michel Debré and Georges Pompidou -, three under the presidency of Georges Pompidou - Maurice Couve de Murville, Jacques Chaban-Delmas and Pierre Messmer -, two under that of Valéry Giscard d'Estaing - Jacques Chirac and Raymond Barre -, and finally three during François Mitterrand's first term - Pierre Mauroy, Laurent Fabius and Jacques Chirac.
Three years after his re-election, the socialist president, however, wants to turn the page on Michel Rocard, in office since the start of this second seven-year term.
"
I absolutely must appoint a woman to Matignon before the end of my mandate
," he said then according to comments reported by Edith Cresson.
At the insistence of the head of state, the one who has already been a minister four times accepts, and goes down in history.
23 men and one woman at Matignon
But the experience is turbulent, and Edith Cresson only stays in post for ten months.
Because of her quality as a woman, she claims to face many criticisms, sometimes even relating to her "
dress
".
“
The post of Prime Minister is a very difficult post, in any case, but the difficulties are increased by the fact that the head of government is a woman.
Because the attacks complicate the political situation even more
”, she confided recently in an interview with the
JDD
.
“
For a president, appointing a woman is taking a risk
,” she concludes.
After this quick passage to Matignon, the exercise is therefore not repeated, and the men follow one another again.
Pierre Bérégovoy and Jean Balladur for Mitterrand.
Alain Juppé, Lionel Jospin, Jean-Pierre Raffarin and Dominique de Villepin during Chirac's two mandates.
François Fillon for Nicolas Sarkozy, Jean-Marc Ayrault, Manuel Valls and Bernard Cazeneuve under François Hollande... Elected in 2017, Emmanuel Macron is in line with his predecessors and in turn appoints Edouard Philippe then Jean Castex, and makes thus up the counters to 23 men for one woman.
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For this new term, the re-elected president, however, seems to be playing the rupture card.
By appointing Elisabeth Borne, he breaks a cycle and opens, perhaps, a new chapter in French political life.
SEE ALSO
– Elisabeth Borne appointed Prime Minister by Emmanuel Macron
