French President Emmanuel Macron has appointed the country’s first woman prime minister in over 30 years.
61-year-old Elisabeth Borne has replaced Jean Castex after a transfer of power ceremony in the Elysée Palace on Monday May 16.
Borne, who has served as the ministers of environment, labor and transport throughout her career, will take on the task of delivering Macron’s re-election campaign promises.
These include creating more effective policies to curb climate change and pension reform.
The newly chosen prime minister has dedicated her appointment to “every little girl.”
“Follow your dreams all the way,” she said after her appointment. “Nothing must hold back the fight for the place of women in society.”
She is the second woman to hold the position in France, with the first being Édith Cresson between 1991 and 1992 under socialist President François Mitterand.
Borne’s appointment has been described as an “olive branch” to voters who only rallied for Macron to stop right-wing Marine Le Pen, according to Bloomberg.
Macron was elected for a second term in April, defeating rival Le Pen by a much smaller margin than the previous elections in 2017.
After his victory, Macron “acknowledged the rising discontent and vowed to heal rifts,” according to Bloomberg.
