Three weeks after the re-election of Emmanuel Macron for a second term as President of the French Republic, the Elysee Palace announced Monday, May 16, 2022, the appointment of Elisabeth Borne as Prime Minister to replace Jeanne Castex.

Born is only the second woman in France to hold this position, after Edith Cresson, who served as prime minister from 1991-1992 during the presidency of François Mitterrand (1981-1995).

Birth and upbringing

April 18, 1961: Elizabeth Bourne was born in Paris, France.

Her French mother was a chemist, while her father was a Jew from Russia who fled to France at the beginning of World War II.

After the war, her parents ran a pharmaceutical factory.

Bourne attended Janson de Selly High School in Paris.

Civil Engineer

1981: She obtained her high school diploma in engineering from the National School of Bridges of Pont and Chaucet and graduated as a civil engineer.

1986: She joined the College of Engineering, where she obtained a master's degree in Business Administration.

2008: Born as director of urban planning for the city of Paris until 2013.

2013: She was appointed mayor of the municipality of Levin, located in the Bad Calais region, in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region in northern France.

She became director of the Poitou-Charentes region in central-western France, with its capital, Poitiers, the first woman to hold this position.

2014: She worked for a year as a private secretary to the Minister of Environment, Sustainable Development and Energy, Segolene Royal.

2015: For two years, Bourne served as CEO of RATP Group, a state-owned public transportation service provider.

For a long time, she was a member of the Socialist Party (PS), founded by François Mitterrand (1916-1996), and for decades it was the largest center-left party in France and one of the two largest parties in the French Fifth Republic alongside the Republicans.

The "Republic on the Move" party was founded by Macron on April 6, 2016 (Al-Jazeera)

"The Republic Forward"

2017: She voted for Emmanuel Macron in the French presidential elections and later joined the "Republic on the Move" party, which Macron founded on April 6, 2016, and presented it as a centrist progressive party.

2017: Bourne assumed the transfer portfolio in Prime Minister Edouard Philippe's first government (May 15, 2017 - June 19, 2017) and Philip's second government (June 21, 2017 - July 3, 2020).

During her time in office, strikes and demonstrations erupted in protest against the generous pension system and benefits for railway workers.

2019: Became Minister of Environment, Sustainable Development and Energy.

2020: Bourne became Minister of Labour, Employment and Economic Inclusion in the government of Prime Minister Jan Castex, succeeding Muriel Benecaud, and continued in the position for two years.

- Oversaw the negotiations with the unions that led to the reduction of unemployment benefits for some job seekers.

During her time in office, France's unemployment rate fell to its lowest level in 15 years, and youth unemployment reached its lowest level in 40 years.

Bourne took over from resigned Prime Minister Jan Castex (Reuters)

Prime Minister

May 16, 2022: President Emmanuel Macron appoints her as Prime Minister of France, after Castex resigns.

Bourne is not elected, but will run as a candidate for Macron's "Republic on the Move" party between June 12-19, 2022, in Calvados, northern France.

If she wins a seat in Parliament, Bourne will no longer serve as Prime Minister and will be replaced by someone else.

It is expected that one of the most difficult challenges that Bourne faces will be negotiations to raise the retirement age to 65 from the current age of 62, which Bourne opposes and also opposes raising the minimum wage.

Described as a "left-wing technocrat", Bourne said in her inaugural address, "I want to dedicate my candidacy to all the young girls and tell them to do whatever you can to make your dreams come true."