Paris (France) (AFP) – Minister for Ecological Transition Mathieu Lefèvre will temporarily replace as government spokesperson Minister Maud Bregeon, who is going on maternity leave, the Élysée announced in a press release.
Published on: 07/11/2026 - 19:04
Coming from the right, Mr. Lefèvre is, like Ms. Bregeon, close to the Minister of Justice Gérald Darmanin, and gave his support to Édouard Philippe in the presidential race.
This 40-year-old elected official from Val-de-Marne retains his position as delegate minister during this interim period of approximately five weeks, according to a source within the executive.
During this period, the Minister of the Economy Roland Lescure will take over the Energy portfolio which Ms. Bregeon also held.
These appointments will be effective from the publication of a decree on Sunday in the Official Journal.
Mr. Lefèvre, who has a master's degree in communications, will therefore be responsible for the next press report from the Council of Ministers.
Ms. Bregeon could return to her post on December 14 to defend a text on accelerating the construction of new nuclear installations, according to the president's entourage. “But she’ll be the one to say it, it’s a temporary job.”
The Horizons president of the Aveyron department, Arnaud Viala, is also appointed Minister for Rural Affairs, replacing Michel Fournier, who left the government in September.
According to Le Parisien, the Minister for the Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs Alice Rufo was in the running to become spokesperson but she wanted to stay in this position until the presidential election. However, “the interim was non-negotiable since it is a replacement for maternity leave”, explains the entourage of the Head of State.
Mathieu Lefèvre “is solid”, argues the same source. “He was a member of the cabinet for a very long time at the Ministry of the Budget which is a control tower” and was a deputy “fairly strong on budgetary issues” from 2022 to 2025. “He saw all public policies clearly, which is decisive for the spokesperson.”
He is also “very loyal to both the president and the Prime Minister, which is an important condition,” adds this source.
Mathieu Lefèvre was also the short-lived Minister, for seven days, at the beginning of October 2025, of Relations with Parliament in the first government of Sébastien Lecornu, where the appointment of Bruno Le Maire to the Armed Forces had triggered the ire of the right and the departure of Bruno Retailleau. Mr. Lecornu then resigned before being reappointed to re-form another team.
© 2026 AFP
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