Eric Coquerel, a lawmaker from the hard-left France Unbowed who chairs the National Assembly’s finance committee, said in a post on X that the danger had nothing to do with de Montchalin personally but the serious conflict of interest her nomination represents.
“Everyone understands the danger that this institution, one in which the French people have confidence, would face,” Coquerel said.
De Montchalin, 40, would also be guaranteed job security until the mandatory retirement age of 68, prompting speculation that her appointment was also a way to prevent a future president from the far-right National Rally, which is the front-runner in next year’s presidential race, from filling the post.
Macron faced similar accusations on Monday following the news that Bank of France Governor François Villeroy de Galhau would quit his job in June. Had Villeroy seen out his term, the succession would have been in the gift of whoever follows Macron as president.
National Rally heavyweight Jean-Philippe Tanguy suspected as much, saying: “I spend my life telling people that Macronism is illiberal and uses democracy as a doormat.”
Tanguy later said on X that de Montchalin’s nomination was “a scandal” considering how it came on the heels of Villeroy’s resignation.