France has both a president and a prime minister. That by itself is not unusual, many countries around the world have both. Or similar political offices, but with different names.
It's also not necessarily unusual for those officeholders to come from different political parties. Sometimes ones with very different ideologies. Something of this sort is continuing on in France. Even after a re-shuffle.
Philippe out, Castex in as French PM
Edouard Philippe is out as President Emmanuel Macron's prime minister. The move is part of a larger shuffling of the Cabinet.
Philippe's exit has surprised many as he has a popular standing with the French public. Including over his recent grappling with the COVID-19 outbreak. Although the BBC reports, Philippe is part of a group of senior ministers under investigation for their COVID-19 response.
France 24 indicates there might have been some friction between Philippe and Macron. The latter of which is known to be somewhat of a micromanager. After three years of serving together, it could've become too much for Philippe.
Philippe is not expected to be leaving politics behind altogether. Instead, he's reportedly taking over as the mayor of Le Havre in northwestern France. A job he previously held from 2010 to 2017.
Other posts he's held include serving in the National Assembly and as the minister of the interior.
The new prime minister is another former mayor in Jean Castex. Castex was the long-time mayor of Prades in southwestern France. He also worked in the government of President Nicolas Sarkozy. More recently, he was tapped by Macron to lead France's economic recovery after the blow of COVID-19.
Both Philippe and Castex are generally considered to be to the right of Macron in ideology. Macron is a member and founder of the centrist party La Republique En March! Which roughly translates to 'The Republic Forward'. Before joining Macron's government, Castex and Philippe were both members of the center-right party Les Republicains ('The Republicans').
Macron's party has taken recent hits
Macron recently announced that his government was putting an especial emphasis on rebuilding his country's economy. His party has been having a number of struggles lately.
Among them, losing the majority in the National Assembly after members defected. It also took a pummeling in the 2020 local elections. Including losing mayorships, it held in Lyon and Besancon.
Despite this, polling indicates Macron to be in a favorable position for the next presidential election. Two important things should be noted, however. One is that Macron hasn't officially announced that he's running again. Another is that the election isn't scheduled until 2022. A great many things could change before then.
