Paris - Emmanuel Macron’s justice and European affairs ministers quit, bringing to four the number of members of his cabinet who have left in recent days amid various ethics investigations.
Justice Minister Francois Bayrou, a big-name backer of Macron’s presidential campaign, quit on Wednesday morning. European Affairs Minister Marielle de Sarnez is also leaving, Agence France-Presse reported, citing officials within her MoDem party.
They follow Regional Development Minister Richard Ferrand, who helped Macron set up his political party, who quit on Monday, and Defense Minister Sylvie Goulard, who handed in her resignation on Tuesday morning.
Goulard and de Sarnez are members of the MoDem party headed by Bayrou, which has been caught up in a preliminary probe over whether allowances for members of the European Parliament were used to do work for the MoDem party in France. Ferrand was under a separate preliminary probe over real estate deals by an insurer that he ran.
Bayrou made a “personal decision” to leave after a long telephone conversation on Tuesday with Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, said Christophe Castaner, the government spokesman, on Europe1 radio. He said he couldn’t confirm de Sarnez’s departure, but said it would be logical given Bayrou’s departure.
Bayrou told AFP he’ll hold a press conference at 17:00 Paris time.
Macron’s Republic on the Move party on Sunday won 308 seats in the National Assembly and MoDem took 42, meaning Macron doesn’t need Bayrou’s group for a majority in the 577-seat body.
As is the custom in France, the cabinet resigned after the parliamentary elections, and Philippe will announce a new cabinet on Wednesday.
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