PARIS (Reuters) – Rape allegations against a minister hailed from the conservative opposition overshadowed Monday’s first meeting of President Emmanuel Macron’s new cabinet, disrupting attempts to relaunch Macron’s presidency.

France’s new minister for Solidarity and the Disabled Damien Abad denied that he had raped 2 women. This was in response to accusations made by Mediapart, a website that reposes on interviews conducted with the women.

Macron’s newly appointed prime minister Elisabeth Borne claimed she wasn’t aware of these allegations. Macron appointed Borne to the government on Friday following two weeks of effort to achieve a balance between gender, political persuasion, and experience.

Abad, who had been the leader of an opposition conservative party in lower house, was Macron’s greatest catch in centre right ranks. It was also an attempt to weaken former presidents Jacques Chirac et Nicolas Sarkozy.

Mediapart reported that the women quoted said Abad made them have unwelcome sexual relations with him. According to them, the acts occurred between late 2010 and early 2011.

A woman filed a police complaint against Abad in 2017, which was closed by Abad and Mediapart.

Abad denied wrongdoing. He claimed that his disability (arthrogryposis) made it impossible for him physically to do the same acts as he was charged with.

Macron was urged by left-leaning Opposition Leaders to dismiss Abad.

Sandrine Rousseau, Green politician said that it was not about whether the man should resign or whether he should be fired as a precaution. We need to signal women loudly that they matter.

Macron spoke televised to his ministers during the beginning of the cabinet meeting. He stated that the mandate for the government was to continue his five-year tenure as president, but also to launch new initiatives to unify the French.

He stated that “this government’s mandate was to serve our compatriots”, and stressed that the cabinet would bring together ministers from different backgrounds and political views. He didn’t mention Abad controversy.

Macron’s election win was a narrow one. His government has since reacted to this by trying to prove that it takes concerns over food and price inflation seriously.