“For her, the adventure will stop there.” Three days before the second round of the presidential election, this leading minister is formal: Marlène Schiappa will not be back. The former Secretary of State for Equality between Women and Men, then appointed Minister Delegate in charge of Citizenship under the Castex government, will not be from Macron’s second five-year term. “I was ready to move on”, confirms the person concerned. On May 20, four days after the resignation of Jean Castex, this early macronist wrote a long post on social media, his favorite playground. She praises her balance sheet and ends with these few words: “I keep the commitment pegged to the body. Take care of yourselves… and of others!”
In fact, Marlène Schiappa was not part of Elisabeth Borne’s first government. Between the release of his new book Is this a good situation, minister?his ten-day tour of New York “to meet personalities from the feminist world”, her weekly radio show project but also a social enterprise in the field of gender equality, the latter is not idle and makes it known on her Instagram page. Marlene Schiappa assists the Roland Garros finaltakes a picture with American feminist Gloria Steinem in New York, participates at Gay Pride with LGBT police officers and enjoys her new life as a former minister to the fullest.
Officially, she did not want to run for the legislative elections for, she says, “stay consistent with his atypical career and return to civil society”. Although, according to an internal source at La République en Marche, “She hesitated a lot”. Marlène Schiappa was notably expected in the 7th district of Paris. In reality, the virus of politics has never left her. And on July 4, thanks to the reshuffle, Marlène Schiappa made her grand return to government as Secretary of State in charge of Social and Solidarity Economy and Associative Life.
The weekend before the government’s announcement, the former entrepreneur attended her sister’s wedding in Pierre-de-Bresse (Burgundy). The festivities are in full swing when she receives “several phone calls”. At the end of the handset: the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister. She who had “told minister friends that she would not return to government because she was creating a social enterprise” does not resist the executive’s proposal for long.
“When the President and the Prime Minister offered me this portfolio, I, who had been president of an association for ten years and several times an entrepreneur, accepted with great enthusiasm!”
Marlene Schiappaat franceinfo
But for many actors and observers of political life, this portfolio is above all a pretext to recall, according to the admission of those around Elisabeth Borne, “a woman politician of convictions who has been in the macronie from the start”. In other words : “He’s a good soldier”, said a ministerial adviser.
“His wallet is an alibi, but it allows you to have someone political who can defend government policy.”
A ministerial adviserat franceinfo
“She was recruited for what she is: she is the president’s sniper, capable of defending any measure, including those that went against his old positions”, decrypts a former member of his cabinet, who still speaks “of an effective gun carrier, of unfailing loyalty” to Emmanuel Macron.
Was his appointment to the government in the cards since his departure in May? “Some have been talking about it for a long time”says a ministerial adviser. “Her return was planned: she has too much political weight to be left outabounds a macronist. There, she is at Matignon, without any direction or anything. The goal is to get it out when it pitches to defend the president.” Marlène Schiappa is indeed attached to the Prime Minister and not to Bercy, as is normally the practice.
During her six-week break, she never cut ties with the majority. “I kept in touch with almost everyone”, boasts Marlène Schiappa. From Elisabeth Borne to Yael Braun-Pivet, via Alexis Kohler, the powerful secretary general of the Elysee Palace and Brigitte Macron, the latter draws up a consequent list of the personalities of the macronie with whom she has exchanged since her departure from the government.
His return, however, divides within the macronie itself. “I am questioning the appointment of Madame Schiappa. Her style is not synonymous with appeasement and dialogue!” fears a member of the majority. Another explains that the Minister “is generally not well liked by majority MPs because of her ego and the fact that she spends more time in the media than working on files”.
“We need elected representatives on the ground and not elected representatives from the television set.”
A member of the majorityat franceinfo
Patrick Vignal, MP for Hérault, is not entirely of this opinion. According to him, “Marlène Schiappa shakes things up, it’s rare in politics! She has sometimes been politically incorrect but I like it. Doing politics also means taking risks.”
The media, here is the fuel of Marlène Schiappa, who was one of the first ministers to go to the set of Cyril Hanouna. “The light attracts her and the bad buzz is always buzz because we will have talked about her”, sighs a former member of his cabinet. But for others, it is precisely an asset in the device, especially in this period of relative majority in Parliament. “She is one of those ministers who have succeeded in breaking the sound barrier in the media and being identified on a subjectassures a Macronist deputy. Whatever the ministers who can replace her on gender equality, it will be her.”
“When you want to bring causes into the public debate, you have to go through the media. This gives immense firepower to put issues on the agenda.”
Marlene Schiappaat franceinfo
“Politics is doing, but it is also communicating about the fact that we are doingconfirms a member of the majority. We need more Marlene Schiappa.” In the opposition, some are not far from thinking the same thing. “I fight it politically but I understand that Emmanuel Macron chooses it”concedes Alexis Corbière, deputy La France insoumise of Seine-Saint-Denis.
“She is a combat macronist and she has an ability to shine compared to other government ministers.”
Alexis Corbière, MP LFIat franceinfo
“There is also going to be a parliamentary fight for the next five years and she is one of the characters who can box”adds this close friend of Jean-Luc Mélenchon.
But others mock his appointment, like RN MP Edwige Diaz: “She is now in charge of associations but when I see the dissatisfaction of feminist associations on her balance sheet and the fact that she has broken ties with them…” “Emmanuel Macron rewards his loyalty but not his political vision – which he does not have”attacks on his side a parliamentarian from the left.
“Putting her into associations today is like putting a hunter on animal terms. She will spend her time instrumentalizing associations.”
A left-wing parliamentarianat franceinfo
“I don’t know how much she will talk about social and solidarity economy”, nevertheless qualifies a former member of his cabinet, who also points out that “his star has faded” : “She is at the bottom of the protocol and new secretary of state and not minister or minister delegate.”
To these criticisms, Marlène Schiappa opposes her determination: “I go around everyone during these first weeks to listen and understand expectations!” His new life as a former minister will wait. All his projects are now on hold. She, who was about to sign with a radio station, will now travel to all the sets as a member of Elisabeth Borne’s team. “It’s complicated to do without Schiappa. It’s better to have him in government”concludes an opposition MP.