President Jacques Chirac today rewarded the interim government that led his centre-right to victory in weekend parliamentary polls by approving almost the entire team to permanent positions directed at carrying out his promised reforms.
One day after the elections which left two-thirds of the 577-seat National Assembly stacked with his supporters, he accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Mr Jean-Pierre Raffarin - a formality required under the electoral rules - then promptly re-appointed him.
The two men then essentially did the same thing with the government, confirming all the main ministers who had been carrying out caretaker duties since Mr Chirac's own re-election on May 5th. Mr Nicolas Sarkozy continued at the head of a superministry for the interior and domestic security.
Mr Dominique de Villepin remained foreign minister, and Mr Francis Mer, a co-president of European steel giant Arcelor, kept the finance ministry.
Mr Raffarin said the new government had "competence and open-mindedness". "The 15 ministers who are the basis (of this government) have not been changed," he said shortly after the makeup of his new cabinet was announced. "There is human quality and, I believe, coherence in this government team," he added. In all, nine changes were made to the 27-member government, but only at junior level.
Both Mr Chirac (69) and his new administration each now have five years of rule ahead of them that appear to be unclouded by any real challenge to their power.
No French president has enjoyed such a mandate since Charles de Gaulle started France's Fifth Republic in 1958.
The centre-right's victory, after a marathon two months of presidential and parliamentary elections, end the "cohabitation" quagmire, under which Mr Chirac had been reduced to figurehead status by a left-wing dominated parliament and government.
It also reflected a swerve to the right that has swept European countries recently, including Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands and Portugal.
The shattered left has a small voice in opposition, while the extreme right -- whose leader Mr Jean-Marie Le Pen staged a brief but stunning bid for Mr Chirac's job six weeks ago -- has become politically insignificant, with not a single parliamentary seat.
As many French newspapers noted Monday, it was a stunning reversal of fortune for Mr Chirac who months ago was regularly lampooned on a popular satirical television show as a corrupt, lying has-been.
"Five Years, No Parole" was how the left-wing Liberation newspaper headlined his triumph over a photo of a smug-looking Chirac.
AFP