PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron has officially put forward his former chief of staff, Emmanuel Moulin, as the next governor of the Bank of France, but the far right and far left quickly lashed out at the nomination.
Macron’s office formalized the proposal, previously reported by POLITICO, in a statement on Tuesday afternoon, the day after Moulin left his job at the Elysée. Moulin, who also previously served as chief of staff under Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire and head of the Treasury, would succeed to François Villeroy de Galhau, who is leaving France’s central bank in June.
Far-right National Rally party heavyweight Jean-Philippe Tanguy immediately criticized Moulin’s profile, signaling trouble for an appointment that requires parliamentary approval.
“He’s a good-for-nothing who should have resigned from public service after the scandal over the inaccurate public budget forecasts,” Tanguy told POLITICO in a text message, arguing that Moulin should be held responsible for France’s budget troubles as he served at the finance ministry.
The country’s far-left also opposes Macron’s proposal.
“Independence is one of the cornerstones of the Bank of France,” France Unbowed party member and chair of the National Assembly’s finance committee Eric Coquerel wrote in a statement, arguing that Moulin would not act independently, given his proximity to current and past governments.
Under the constitution, the bank’s governor is nominated by the president and is appointed by government decree after a parliamentary vote.
But the nominee can be vetoed by parliament if three-fifths of MPs from the finance committees of the National Assembly and the Senate vote against them. Coquerel announced the vote will take place on May 20.
With parliament now dominated by opposition parties that swiftly rejected the president’s proposal, Moulin’s approval looks uncertain despite his strong economic credentials.


