The adventure only lasted five short months. Philippe Vigier was not reappointed this Thursday in the government of Gabriel Attal, during the second round of appointments. The number two MoDem deputies hand over the keys to the ministry delegated to Overseas Territories to the elected Renaissance representative, Marie Guévenoux. At 47, this specialist in sovereign issues rose through the ranks in the National Assembly, where she became the first woman First Quaestor. A highly coveted, shadowy position that allowed him to have control over the finances and management of the Lower House.
Unknown to the general public, the MP for Essonne maneuvers mainly behind the scenes, she who has long monitored the discipline of the majority group on delicate texts. Coming from the ranks of the right, Marie Guévenoux cut her teeth with former minister Alain Madelin, for whom she was his parliamentary assistant, before joining Alain Juppé. She supported the mayor of Bordeaux from the creation of the UMP in 2002. Very quickly, the activist was named head of the Young People’s Party, from which she was finally ousted upon the arrival of Nicolas Sarkozy as president of the party.
During the Republican (LR) primary at the end of 2016, this daughter of an antiques dealer raised funds for Alain Juppé. After the failure of her mentor, she is then responsible for verifying the conformity of François Fillon’s campaign accounts. A position held until the former prime minister was indicted. Like several Juppeist collaborators, Marie Guévenoux slammed the campaign door, and joined Emmanuel Macron the day after his victory. She presents herself under the colors of La République en marche (LREM) and wins in Essonne against an LR candidate. The MP quickly occupied positions in the young movement which lacked experienced profiles. She thus became treasurer, then deputy general delegate of the party.
Promoted to the Overseas portfolio, under the supervision of the Ministry of the Interior, Marie Guévenoux inherits some burning issues. Purchasing power, access to housing and water, decentralization… The new minister will have to follow the road map drawn up by Gabriel Attal in these territories where “rearming our public services is perhaps even more crucial, more vital than elsewhere”, as the Prime Minister stated during his general policy speech. Barely promoted, his predecessor, Philippe Vigier, had to face a flood of criticism from local elected officials, who criticized him for his lack of knowledge of overseas territories. Criticisms which should not escape the minister from Amiens, with no significant experience on overseas issues.
