FRENCH PRESIDENT EMMANUEL MACRON’S NEW GOVERNMENT – Rachida Dati named new French culture minister and Sejourne becomes foreign minister
French President Emmanuel Macron poached former Nicolas Sarkozy minister Rachida Dati to join his new government, a surprise move that will further weaken his conservative opponents and signals his desire to bring political experience to his cabinet.
Dati, a vocal former justice minister who enjoys strong name recognition in France, was named culture minister in Macron’s new government, which also confirmed heavyweights Bruno Le Maire and Gerald Darmanin for the finance and interior portfolios.
The first batch of ministers announced by his office on Thursday (January 11), which also includes MEP Stephane Sejourne as foreign minister, comes after Macron named Gabriel Attal as his prime minister earlier this week.
Sejourne is one of the “Macron boys” who helped Macron win the presidency in 2017 and was most recently his member in the European parliament, confirming the president is focused on turning around his fortunes for the vote.
