The official announcement is expected to be made by decree in the coming hours. Mathieu Lefèvre, the Minister Delegate for Ecological Transition, will replace Maud Bregeon as government spokesperson during her maternity leave, AFP learned Saturday from sources close to President Emmanuel Macron, confirming a report by Le Parisien.
A Close Ally of Gérald Darmanin
Like Bregeon, Lefèvre is a close associate of Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin. Also like Bregeon, he supports Édouard Philippe’s candidacy for the presidency. Le Parisien described him as a “hitman for the Macron camp,” highlighting his ease in dealing with the media.
“He has always defended the president and has a 360-degree profile — he knows public policy well,” a source in the president’s entourage told the regional daily.
A longtime member of the cabinet at the Budget Ministry, Lefèvre later served as a deputy elected in the Val-de-Marne department. He also had a brief seven-day stint as Minister of Relations with Parliament in Sébastien Lecornu’s first government in early October 2025 — a period during which Bruno Le Maire’s appointment to the Armed Forces portfolio sparked outrage on the right and prompted Bruno Retailleau’s departure.
Interim Period of About Five Weeks
Lefèvre will retain his position as minister delegate during the roughly five-week interim, according to another source within the executive branch. Bregeon could return to her post on December 14 to defend a bill on accelerating the construction of new nuclear facilities, according to the president’s entourage.
She handled the weekly cabinet meeting report this Wednesday, and the next one is expected to be delivered by Lefèvre.
Arnaud Viala Named Minister of Rurality
A second appointment is to be formalized in the same decree: that of Arnaud Viala, the Horizons party president of the Aveyron department council. He is to be named Minister of Rurality, replacing Michel Fournier, who left the government in September.
