Europe | First Borne

Meet Elisabeth Borne, France’s new prime minister

Emmanuel Macron nods to the left, sort of, with her nomination

France's newly appointed Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne looks on during a handover ceremony in the courtyard of the Hotel Matignon, French Prime ministers' official residence, in Paris on May 16, 2022. (Photo by CHRISTIAN HARTMANN / POOL / AFP) (Photo by CHRISTIAN HARTMANN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
|PARIS

In 2022 it ought to be unremarkable for a woman to be appointed to run a European government. Yet the nomination on May 16th of Elisabeth Borne as prime minister of France was anything but. It is the first time in 30 years that a woman has held the post, and only the second time ever. The previous one, Edith Cresson, appointed by François Mitterrand, did not last a year in the job. As Ms Borne took over from Jean Castex on the evening of her nomination, she dedicated her appointment to “all the little girls” in France, telling them to “follow your dreams”.

This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “First Borne”

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