On Monday, President Emmanuel Macron appointed Labour Minister Elisabeth Borne as prime minister to pursue his ambitious reform plans, making her the first woman to lead the French government in almost three decades.

Prime Minister Jean Castex tendered his resignation to the president earlier as part of a widely anticipated restructuring to pave a new cabinet following Macron's April reelection.

Edith Cresson served as the last female premier from May 1991 to April 1992 under President Francois Mitterrand.

The Elysee issued a statement confirming Borne's nomination, ending weeks of suspense. She immediately traveled to the Matignon mansion of the prime minister in Paris for the transfer with Castex.

The departure of Castex, who was an unexpected choice for the position in 2020, enables Macron to restructure the Cabinet before June's critical parliamentary elections. In the coming days, Borne is anticipated to unveil his new government.

The centrist Macron will require a legislative majority to advance his domestic agenda as a new left-wing alliance after his victory. The far-right threaten to thwart his efforts.

In recent weeks, speculation has been rampant regarding Castex's replacement, with Macron saying he desired a left-leaning woman with environmental credentials.

These criteria show his willingness to prioritize education and health in the early stages of his second term and the climate catastrophe he has pledged to prioritize.

"It's time."

Borne, 61, is viewed as a competent technocrat who can bargain prudently with unions as the president starts on a new package of social changes that includes a retirement age increase that risks triggering protests.

An unnamed French presidential source characterized Borne as a lady of "conviction, action and realization," highlighting her "capacity to carry out reforms."

"It was high time there was another woman," Cresson, who knows Borne personally, told BFM-TV.

"She has vast experience in the public and commercial sectors... She is an excellent candidate because she is a fantastic individual, not because she is a woman ".

She was surprised that France had never had a female head of state and had taken so long to have another female prime minister.

"France is very behind – not the French population but the political class," Cresson, who endured countless sexist insults during her time in office, said.