PARIS: Francois Hollande yesterday installed a former banker and ally as economy minister in an emergency reshuffle seen as the “last chance” to haul France out of the biggest crisis of his presidency.
The top members of the government remained unchanged, but three rebel ministers who had publicly attacked Hollande’s economic policy were not in the line-up as the president seeks to quell dissenting voices in his team.
In a surprising move, Hollande appointed 36-year-old Emmanuel Macron, an ex-Rothschild banker and former advisor, as economy minister — a clear sign he wants a coherent line on economic policy after recent sniping from the left-wing of his Socialist Party.
Macron was Hollande’s economic advisor until this spring and pushed the Socialist president towards implementing a more liberal financial policy as the country struggles with stagnant growth and record unemployment.
His appointment marks a clear shift to the right, as he replaces Arnaud Montebourg, the left-wing firebrand and chief rebel who sparked the government’s sudden collapse on Monday. Fleur Pellerin was appointed culture minister and Najat Vallaud-Belkacem education minister.
AFP
