(17 Oct 2018) President Emmanuel Macron held a weekly cabinet meeting on Wednesday, a day after he made a rare televised address to reassure the French public that all was under control after a limited government reshuffle that followed a difficult summer.
The long-awaited reshuffle and the special television address are seen as an attempt by Macron to take back control after three senior ministers resigned in recent weeks and his popularity plummeted.
Macron sought to give his government a fresh start earlier in the day by naming key ally Christophe Castaner as interior minister, replacing Gerald Collomb as head of policing and counterterrorism.
Collomb resigned Oct. 3 and Macron took a relatively long time to choose the successor, leaving the interior minister post vacant for a while before it was taken over temporarily by the prime minister.
Macron's office said the changes were meant to accompany a new wave of long-anticipated reforms.
The 40-year-old French leader, elected last year on a platform to reform the French economy, has pledged to make changes to unemployment benefits and streamline the pension system by next summer.
Four other government members were replaced on Tuesday, including the culture and agriculture ministers.
The key members of the government, including the finance and foreign affairs ministers, retained their positions.
Macron also appointed new junior ministers focusing mainly on economic matters and fighting poverty.
Find out more about AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
Twitter: [ Ссылка ]
Facebook: [ Ссылка ]
Instagram: [ Ссылка ]
You can license this story through AP Archive: [ Ссылка ]
