Paris – Bernard Cazeneuve has been appointed as the new Prime Minister of France after Manuel Valls quit his post to focus on running as President in the country’s coming elections.
“I have appointed Mr Cazeneuve as Prime Minister and charged him with forming a new government,” said President Francois Hollande, who will not be running for re-election.
The 53-year-old is a close ally of Mr Hollande and has become a popular figure in French politics as the champion of measures tackling extremism. Valls will be seeking the Socialist nomination for the vote, hoping to pit himself against conservative candidate Francois Fillon and Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right Front National.
Valls, who survived a vote of no confidence earlier this year, has been criticised by members of his own party for supporting controversial labour reforms and burkini bans.
