The presidency on Thursday announced that Catherine Pégard, a former magazine editor and former head of the Palace of Versailles, will take over the coveted culture portfolio from Rachida Dati. The reshuffle has already been overshadowed by a heated row in the Paris mayoral race, in which Dati is running.
Dati, 60, resigned late on Wednesday to focus on her bid to become mayor of Paris. She is running as the mainstream conservative candidate in municipal elections scheduled for March, and wasted no time making headlines as she launched her campaign.
Rachida Dati resigns as France's culture minister to focus on Paris mayor campaign
Within hours of stepping down from government, Dati accused her Socialist rival Emmanuel Grégoire of “social racism”, igniting a fierce political exchange.
The dispute followed a social media post by Grégoire warning that Paris was “threatened” by an “extreme right” alliance and that a “brown wave” could sweep through the capital. Dati – whose father was Moroccan and mother Algerian – reacted angrily.
“Do you find this acceptable when you know my life and my background?” she asked in an interview with BFMTV.
She went on to accuse her opponent of reinforcing barriers in French society.
“There’s a glass ceiling in this country when it comes to accessing high-level positions,” she said, criticising what she described as an “insular left” that preferred to see people like her “as victims”.
Grégoire dismissed the accusations as “ridiculous”, calling instead for a more measured political debate.
“We can have debates and confrontations of ideas without resorting to insults,” he said, adding that Dati’s background should be seen as “a source of pride for our country”.
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Tight race in Paris
Despite the early clash, the contest for Paris city hall is shaping up to be a closely fought race. Opinion polls currently place Grégoire in the lead with around 32 percent of support, but Dati has gained ground in recent weeks and is now polling at roughly 30 percent.
Dati has centred her campaign on security, taking aim at the current Socialist-led administration. She has pledged to install 8,000 CCTV cameras across the capital’s 7,000 streets, arguing that stronger surveillance is needed to tackle crime, including sexual violence.
Her departure from government comes at a challenging time for President Emmanuel Macron’s administration, which has been struggling in the polls.
Alongside Pégard’s appointment, the presidency announced several additional changes to the cabinet.
Sabrina Roubache is set to return as deputy education minister, government spokeswoman Maud Brégeon will take on a deputy energy role and Camille Galliard-Minier has been named deputy minister for people with disabilities.
(with newswires)
