Elisabeth Borne Becomes France's First Female Prime Minister in Over 30 Years

Elisabeth Borne is only the second woman to become France's PM after Edith Cresson, who held the post from 1991-92.

Elisabeth Borne

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter/Christine Lagarde) 

Elisabeth Borne was appointed France's new prime minister on Monday, 16 May, by President Emmanuel Macron. She is the country's first female PM in more than 30 years.

Borne is only the second woman to become France's PM after Edith Cresson, who held the post in 1991-92 under President Francois Mitterrand, as per AP.

Borne has also served as labour minister since 2020 under Macron in his first term as president. Prior to that, she held the portfolio of transport minister, and then minister for ecological transition - both under Macron.

Outgoing French PM Jean Castex handed over his resignation to Macron formally on Monday, which was accepted by the president.

Parliamentary Polls in June

A new government is due to be appointed by Macron and Borne in the next few days.

Borne's appointment as PM gains significance as parliamentary elections are due in June. The vote, which will be held over two rounds, will decide who commands a majority in the country's National Assembly, which has the final say over the country's Senate.

If Macron's party wins in the election, the new PM will have to ensure that changes to the pension scheme promised by the former are put into law, which will include raising the minimum age of retirement from 62 to 65 years.

Macron also said that the new prime minister would be in-charge of "green planning" and implementing the country's policies regarding climate change.

(With inputs from AP.)