Macron cements cabinet control as troublesome minister quits

Bloomberg

A one-time rival to President Emmanuel Macron was forced out of the French government on Wednesday as the president asserted his authority after a resounding victory in Sunday’s parliamentary elections.
Justice Minister Francois Bayrou, 66, who threw his weight behind Macron’s campaign in February after mulling his own bid for the presidency, quit Wednesday morning. European Affairs Minister Marielle de Sarnez is also leaving, Agence France-Presse reported, citing officials within her party, while two other ministers resigned on Tuesday.
Bayrou leads a centrist party MoDem that is allied with Macron’s lawmakers in the French Assembly. He was left little option after Defense Minister Sylvie Goulard, another MoDem member and a close Macron ally, resigned Tuesday morning, saying a preliminary probe into funding of their party had made her position untenable. Sarnez is also a member of MoDem. Bayrou told AFP he’ll hold a press conference at 5 p.m. Paris time.
French government spokesman Christophe Castaner said Bayrou’s departure was a “personal decision,” but followed a long telephone conversation with Prime Minister Edouard Philippe.
“What is clear is that this simplifies the situation because it was difficult,” Castaner said on Europe1 radio. “It’s now easier to concentrate.”