Iran Press/ Europe: French Prime Minister Jean Castex resigned Monday in an expected move after the reelection last month of centrist President Emmanuel Macron, who will quickly name a replacement.
Centrist politician Elisabeth Borne was appointed France’s new prime minister on Monday to become the second woman to hold the post in the country.
Recently re-elected Macron, who needs to show he has heard the frustrations of voters expressed by low turnout and big support for the far right and far left, has been looking for premier with green and social policy credentials.
Borne is the second woman to hold the position of prime minister in the country after Edith Cresson, who served from 1991 to 1992 under Socialist President Francois Mitterrand.
As labor minister since 2020, Borne implemented changes that made it harder for jobless people to get benefits and reduced monthly payments for some unemployed people, prompting criticism from workers' unions and from the left.
In 2018, as transport minister, Borne faced a major strike from the SNCF railway company against plans to open the train network to competition and end newly-hired employees’ right to retain jobs and benefits for life. She ultimately managed to pass the bill. 219
