the essential historical figure of the right, the president of Grand Reims showed her support for Emmanuel Macron in February. The name of the future Prime Minister is still pending. Almost three weeks to the day after his re-election, Emmanuel Macron says he has chosen who will succeed Jean Castex, but nothing has been formalized for the time being. So in the meantime, several names are circulating… In the event that the Head of State wishes to entrust the reins of Matignon to a woman, personalities such as former ministers Audrey Azoulay and Marisol Touraine have had an echo in recent days in the political and media sphere. More recently, it is the name of the president of Greater Reims, Catherine Vautrin, which is essential. Here is what you need to know about the one who would be approached to become Prime Minister. Politician Born in 1960 in Reims, Catherine Vautrin holds a master’s degree in law. She got involved in politics early, at the age of 20, when she joined the RPR. At 23, she became a municipal councilor at the town hall of Reims. At the same time, she initially worked in the private sector for ten years, before devoting herself exclusively to her political commitment. In 1999, she joined the regional council of Champagne-Ardenne, where she held the position of deputy director general of services from 2000 to 2002, when Catherine Vautrin was elected deputy for the second district of Marne. From 2004, she moved away from her region of origin to join the government: during the reshuffle decided by Jean-Pierre Raffarin, she was appointed Secretary of State for the elderly and Equal Opportunities. In 2005, she was appointed Minister Delegate for Social Cohesion and Parity, a position she held for two years. She was then re-elected as a Member of Parliament, and then devoted herself to the political life of the National Assembly, being elected Vice-President of the National Assembly from 2008 to 2017. Position papers and political affairs Several positions taken by the former Minister have been challenged. In 2013, for example, she showed her opposition to the law of marriage for all, Catherine Vautrin notably participated in the “Manif pour tous”. In 2014, when the Bygmalion affair broke out, highlighting the overrun of Nicolas Sarkozy’s campaign costs, Catherine Vautrin was then treasurer of the UMP, a function from which she resigned after the revelations. She subsequently benefited from a dismissal, while she was indicted for “breach of trust”. Support for Emmanuel Macron During the Republican presidential primary in 2016, Catherine Vautrin joined forces with Nicolas Sarkozy as campaign spokesperson, with Eric Ciotti. But when the Fillon affair came to light, a few weeks before the first round, she gave up supporting the candidate from the primary. On the occasion of the 2022 presidential election, the president of Greater Reims announced in February her rallying to Emmanuel Macron. In an interview with the newspaper La Croix, she felt that he was “the man for the job”.
