French president sacks education, health ministers in Cabinet reshuffle

By Esra Taskin

PARIS (AA) - French President Emmanuel Macron replaced his health and education ministers Thursday as part of a Cabinet reshuffle in an effort to reassert his authority following months of unrest over a series of crises.

Gabriel Attal will replace Pap Ndiaye as education minister, while Aurelien Rousseau, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne’s former chief of staff, will take over the Health Ministry from Francois Braun, according to the French presidency.

The Cabinet reshuffle comes after months-long protests over the government’s controversial pension reform and the police killing last month of Nael M., a 17-year-old of Algerian descent, during a traffic check in the Paris suburb of Nanterre.

Meanwhile, Aurore Berge, president of the Renaissance parliamentary group in the National Assembly, has been appointed minister of solidarity and families to replace Jean-Christophe Combe.

Philippe Vigier, a 65-year-old member of parliament for the Democratic Movement (MoDem), replaces Jean-Francois Carenco at the Overseas Ministry, while Sabrina Agresti-Roubache has been promoted to minister for the city and Patrice Vergriete, the mayor of Dunkirk, will be the new minister of housing.

Additionally, Thomas Cazenave will be the new minister of public accounts and Berangere Couillard will be the Secretary of State for Gender Equality, replacing Isabelle Rome.

Sarah El Hairy becomes undersecretary for biodiversity, Fadila Khattabi will be the delegate minister responsible for people with disabilities, and Prisca Thevenot will be the new secretary of state for youth and development.

Meanwhile, Marlene Schiappa, Secretary of State for Social and Solidarity Economy and Associative Life, was also sacked as part of the reshuffle.

She has been under fire over a political scandal surrounding the Marianne Fund, which was set up in April 2021 following the gruesome murder of schoolteacher Samuel Paty to stem rising "separatism" in France.

The new Cabinet is expected to convene on Friday with the attendance of President Macron.