Photo : Collected
France's new premier said he hoped to finalise a long-awaited government "before Sunday", as President Emmanuel Macron weighed a line-up that marks a shift to the right, with left-wingers due to protest on Saturday.
The full line-up, which includes fresh faces in almost all key posts, is due after "final fine-tuning", Prime Minister Michel Barnier's office said, after two-and-a-half months of deadlock created by inconclusive legislative elections.
While there appeared to be no major surprises or big-name entrants into the cabinet, there are set to be new foreign, economy and interior ministers, with only the defence minister remaining unchanged among the key offices of state.
Barnier is proposing Europe Minister Jean-Noel Barrot as foreign minister, a source close to Macron's political faction told AFP, asking not to be named.
The move would be a major promotion for the 41-year-old, whose slick media appearances have impressed observers, but boosting France's presence on the international stage could pose a challenge.
Bruno Retailleau, who heads the faction of the right-wing The Republicans (LR) in France's upper house Senate, is to take on the interior ministry, according to several sources who spoke to AFP.
Landing the interior ministry, which oversees the police and domestic security, would be seen as a major success for the right.
And another meteoric rise will likely see Antoine Armand, the 33-year-old head of parliament's economic affairs commission, installed as economy minister.
One key person said to be staying on is Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu, who is believed to enjoy a close and trusting relationship with Macron.
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