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| 2 Ministers Allied With Emmanuel Macron Resign in France | 2 Ministers Allied With Emmanuel Macron Resign in France |
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| PARIS — Two centrist allies of President Emmanuel Macron of France left the government on Wednesday, clouded by allegations that their party had misused European Union funds. | PARIS — Two centrist allies of President Emmanuel Macron of France left the government on Wednesday, clouded by allegations that their party had misused European Union funds. |
| The resignations of the two officials — François Bayrou, the justice minister, and Marielle de Sarnez, the minister for European affairs — cast a shadow over what was supposed to be a minor cabinet shuffle later on Wednesday. A day earlier, Sylvie Goulard, the defense minister, announced that she would step down. | |
| Mr. Macron’s prime minister, Édouard Philippe, announced the formation of a new cabinet on Wednesday, after legislative elections on Sunday that gave Mr. Macron and his centrist allies a decisive majority in the National Assembly, the lower house of Parliament. Florence Parly, a senior executive at the French national railway company and a former Socialist junior budget minister, replaced Ms. Goulard as defense minister. Nicole Belloubet, a member of the constitutional council, took over for Mr. Bayrou as justice minister, and Nathalie Loiseau, the director of the École Nationale d’Administration, an elite school that trains top public servants, replaced Ms. de Sarnez as the minister for European affairs. | |
| Although the resignations will not hamper Mr. Macron’s ability to govern, they may undermine the president’s vow to transform French politics, which was meant to signal an intention to break from ethical scandals of the past. | Although the resignations will not hamper Mr. Macron’s ability to govern, they may undermine the president’s vow to transform French politics, which was meant to signal an intention to break from ethical scandals of the past. |
| Mr. Bayrou and Ms. de Sarnez are cornerstones of MoDem, or Democratic Movement, a centrist party led by Mr. Bayrou that aligned with Mr. Macron during the presidential campaign. Ms. Goulard was elected to the European Parliament with MoDem in 2009 and 2014, but she has recently distanced herself from the party. Mr. Macron’s party, République en Marche, and MoDem won 350 of 577 seats in the elections for the National Assembly, securing a strong mandate to enact the president’s planned government overhaul. | |
| Because his party won more than 289 seats, an absolute majority, Mr. Macron will not depend on his centrist allies for votes. | Because his party won more than 289 seats, an absolute majority, Mr. Macron will not depend on his centrist allies for votes. |
| MoDem has been accused of using European Union funds to pay aides who were actually doing work for the party. In 2009, six of its members were elected or re-elected to the European Parliament, including Ms. de Sarnez and Ms. Goulard. | MoDem has been accused of using European Union funds to pay aides who were actually doing work for the party. In 2009, six of its members were elected or re-elected to the European Parliament, including Ms. de Sarnez and Ms. Goulard. |
| Mr. Bayrou and other members of MoDem have denied any wrongdoing. At a news conference on Wednesday, Mr. Bayrou said the party’s parliamentary aides had never had “phony jobs,” describing himself as the “real target of these denunciations.” | |
| “I won’t accept being forced to remain silent when the honor of those I represent is at stake,” Mr. Bayrou said, arguing that as justice minister he could not talk freely enough to defend himself and his party. | “I won’t accept being forced to remain silent when the honor of those I represent is at stake,” Mr. Bayrou said, arguing that as justice minister he could not talk freely enough to defend himself and his party. |
| Mr. Bayrou reaffirmed his support for Mr. Macron, calling his election a “chance for Europe and for the world’s balance,” and said that MoDem would be a “pillar” of the presidential majority in Parliament. Two other members of MoDem were named as ministers in the new cabinet. | Mr. Bayrou reaffirmed his support for Mr. Macron, calling his election a “chance for Europe and for the world’s balance,” and said that MoDem would be a “pillar” of the presidential majority in Parliament. Two other members of MoDem were named as ministers in the new cabinet. |
| Mr. Macron, who was elected on May 7, promised to run an honest and transparent government. Mr. Bayrou had made ambitious ethics changes a condition to his alliance with Mr. Macron, and he had recently been in charge of writing a sweeping ethics bill. | Mr. Macron, who was elected on May 7, promised to run an honest and transparent government. Mr. Bayrou had made ambitious ethics changes a condition to his alliance with Mr. Macron, and he had recently been in charge of writing a sweeping ethics bill. |
| Georges Fenech, a top official with the center-right Republican Party, now the main opposition group in the National Assembly, said in a statement that the resignations showed that Mr. Macron had “played for time” and had “fooled the electorate” by waiting until after the elections to let the ministers go. | Georges Fenech, a top official with the center-right Republican Party, now the main opposition group in the National Assembly, said in a statement that the resignations showed that Mr. Macron had “played for time” and had “fooled the electorate” by waiting until after the elections to let the ministers go. |
| Mr. Bayrou’s integrity and that of his party allies came under fire last month, after a member of the far-right party National Front sent a letter to prosecutors hinting that parliamentary aides of MoDem lawmakers at the European Parliament had actually been working for their party. Prosecutors opened an investigation on June 9. The National Front is under investigation over similar allegations. According to the newspaper Libération, as many as 11 MoDem employees were being paid with European funds as local aides to the party’s European lawmakers. | |
| Mr. Bayrou was also criticized for calling the head of the investigative team at a French radio station to complain about its work on MoDem. He said he was acting as a “citizen” exercising his right to criticize the news media, but many critics said they found the move inappropriate. | Mr. Bayrou was also criticized for calling the head of the investigative team at a French radio station to complain about its work on MoDem. He said he was acting as a “citizen” exercising his right to criticize the news media, but many critics said they found the move inappropriate. |