French President Emmanuel Macron has moved to reboot his faltering leadership ahead of elections in 2022 by removing his increasingly popular prime minister and potential rival Édouard Philippe
The pair have clashed privately in the past over tax reform and the coronavirus lockdown but remain reasonably close.The coronavirus pandemic has killed more than 30,000 people in France and unleashed a devastating recession.
A survey by French pollsters Ifop found the percentage of voters satisfied with Macron's leadership had fallen to 38 per cent in June compared to 43 at the start of the pandemic in March. Nearly two thirds of voters were satisfied with Macron in the weeks after his election in 2017. By contrast, half of all voters were satisfied with Philippe last month - up from 42 per cent in March and a low of 30 per cent in January 2019.
Malcolm Turnbull, who as Australian prime minister had a good working relationship with Philippe, said in an Instagram post that he was "sorry to see Édouard Philippe resign" and described him as a "great leader and friend of Australia".A Yellow Vest protester attends a demonstration in Paris in December. His vest says"Macron, Father Christmas to the rich, enemy of the French people".Castex will form a new government by Wednesday.
Greens leader Julien Bayou said the reshuffle means a "man of the Right replaces a man of the Right" and claimed Castex was rarely heard on environmental issues.
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