Sarkozy names Fillon as Prime Minister - The new government

[Theobald]

Sarkozy names ally Fillon as PM

Francois Fillon, a key ally of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, has been appointed the country's new prime minister in a ceremony in Paris.

Mr Fillon, 53, a moderate conservative senator, helped direct Mr Sarkozy's successful election campaign.

He is expected to play a leading role in the president's plans to reform France's employment and welfare laws.

Mr Sarkozy, who succeeded Jacques Chirac on Wednesday, is due to name the rest of his government on Friday.

He has promised to halve the number of government ministers to 15, and has said about half will be women.

The outgoing prime minister, Dominique de Villepin, who resigned from the post on Tuesday, received his successor and formally handed over power in a ceremony on Thursday morning.

In line with tradition, the Republican Guard was deployed in ceremonial uniform and Mr Fillon arrived via a red carpet laid out across the courtyard at the prime minister's official residence, the Matignon.

During the ceremony the new prime minister said: "I will listen to everyone because a France in motion needs everyone."

Afterwards Mr de Villepin emerged from the Matignon, wished Mr Fillon good luck and said: "He has all the necessary qualities to succeed in the service of our country."

Mr Fillon served as social affairs minister between 2002 to 2004, pushing through a major overhaul of the country's pension system in the midst of large street protests.

He has also served in several other government posts for the UMP party, but lost his place in Mr Chirac's administration in 2005 and pledged his loyalty to Mr Sarkozy.

Reform agenda

The new president said on his first day in office that France needed to bring in more reforms quickly.

"There is a demand for change. Never have the risks of inertia been so great for France as they are now in this world in flux where everyone across the world is trying to change quicker than the others, where any delay can be fatal," he said.

Shortly afterwards, the pair put on their jogging kits and went for a brisk run around the Bois de Boulogne.

The BBC's Caroline Wyatt, in Paris, says all this is a new and very different style for France, whose heads of state here have traditionally been patrician, somewhat remote figures.

It is clear that Mr Sarkozy and Mr Fillon are serious about getting this nation moving again, she says, beginning by setting their own personal example.

Mr Fillon's renowned conciliatory skills will be much needed as prime minister if he is to succeed in a post often described as a poisoned chalice, says the BBC's Alasdair Sandford in Paris.

Mr Fillon will lead the UMP party into parliamentary elections in June.

Opinion polls suggest the party will gain a majority, giving Mr Sarkozy and Mr Fillon the scope to push ahead with reforms.

Source

[svin]

Is he at least ethnic French?

[Theobald]

The new government, 8 men and 7 women, with a Jewish socialist minister (Kouchner, Foreign Affairs), a centrist one (Morin, Defense) and an Arab one (Dati, Justice).
If I'm not mistaken the Immigration & National Identity minister, Brice Hortefeux, had some problems with justice after so-called "racist" statements against an Algerian. I'll look for articles about that thing.

Originally Posted by Le Figaro

- Alain Juppé (Ministre d'Etat, chargé de l'Environnement, du développement durable, de l'énergie et des transports)

- Jean-Louis Borloo (Stratégie économique, entreprises, emploi)


- Xavier Bertrand (Affaires sociales, travail)


- Brice Hortefeux (Co-développement, coopération, immigration, intégration, identité nationale)


- Xavier Darcos (Education)


- Bernard Kouchner (Affaires étrangères)

- Hervé Morin (Défense)

- Eric Woerth (Budget, Comptes publics, Fonction publique)


- Christine Boutin (Cohésion sociale)


- Rachida Dati (Justice)


- Michèle Alliot-Marie (Intérieur)


- Valérie Pécresse (Recherche, enseignement supérieur)


- Christine Lagarde (Agriculture)


- Christine Albanel (Culture)


- Roselyne Bachelot (Santé et sports)

Source

[Errigal]

Originally Posted by Theobald

Jewish socialist minister (Kouchner, Foreign Affairs)

I think Bernard Kouchner is half Jewish on his father's side and Protestant on his mother's side. He seems to be like Bono or Geldoff with his love of publicity and little African babies.

[Theobald]

Originally Posted by svin

Is he at least ethnic French?

His mother is Basque and his father is from Vendée (Western France). He is a "social gaullist" and a practicing Catholic. Also, he has a Welsh wife and five children.
He is not what I would call a natural leader, that's probably why he was chosen. The political beast Sarkozy is going to eat him and to be President and Prime Minister at the same time, and Fillon will be the "social mascot" of the government ("smile and shut up").

[Theobald]

Originally Posted by AFAS

I think Bernard Kouchner is half Jewish on his father's side and Protestant on his mother's side.

Indeed. Also, he is one of the rare pro-American socialists (he supported American wars in the Middle East), and I'm pretty sure that that's why he was named as Foreign Affairs minister. So when "our" government will start becoming more and more an American puppet, then Sarkozy will say : "but you see, it's a socialist who is doing this!"

[Errigal]

I saw Sarkozy a few days ago on the news after jogging wearing a New York City Police T-shirt. Knowing he was going to be interviewed I'm sure he was sending a message. He clearly wants to be known as pro-American.

[Cirrus]

Originally Posted by Theobald

The new government, 8 men and 7 women, with a Jewish socialist minister (Kouchner, Foreign Affairs), a centrist one (Morin, Defense) and an Arab one (Dati, Justice).

I didn't know this ethnicity.

[Lucas Corso]

Sarkozy's cabinet team announced







French President Nicolas Sarkozy has unveiled a slimmed-down government, giving half the jobs to women.

The new Foreign Minister, Bernard Kouchner, 67, is a Socialist famous for having founded the aid organisation Doctors Without Borders (MSF).
Prime Minister Francois Fillon's team of 15 includes former PM Alain Juppe, to handle environmental policy.
Former Social Cohesion Minister Jean-Louis Borloo will manage the economy and employment.
Mr Fillon's cabinet numbers just 15 ministers, rather than the previous 30.
This is part of Mr Sarkozy's plans to cut costs and make the French government more efficient.
That reduced number has led to fierce competition for cabinet jobs.
Mr Kouchner's pro-American line should fit in well with Mr Sarkozy's thinking, the BBC's Caroline Wyatt reports. He was one of the few French politicians to support the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, on the grounds that it would topple Saddam Hussein.
Prominent women
Of the female candidates, France will have its first ethnic minority figure as the head of the justice ministry - Mr Sarkozy's spokeswoman Rachida Dati.
Former Defence Minister Michele Alliot-Marie goes to the interior ministry, with former Trade Minister Christine Lagarde going to agriculture - a key job, with world trade discussions going on and EU farming subsidies up for debate again soon.
Jacques Chirac's former Prime Minister Alain Juppe will head a ministry overseeing sustainable development, environment and transport.
Defence has gone to centrist MP Herve Morin, who heads the UDF party in parliament.


Source: BBC NEWS | Europe | Sarkozy\'s cabinet team announced




Absolutely great! A russophobe-atlantist as a Foreign Minister...

[Kernunnos]

And an arab as a minister of justice ...

La france au francois ... we see.

The great deception is showing ist face.

poor France. And we are just going that way.

[Truth-Finder]

Alain Juppé got sued not long ago for an old (1995) affair of fictitious employments within the UMP party, affair thazt it seems involved the ex-president Chirac and other high standing figures.

Let's hope that they will not change their mind on Iraq and send french troops there.

[Crvena zvezda]

Bernard Kouchner. This means Sarkozy wants France to be more in line with American foreign policy as Kouchner is well known to support US policies.