New French President Nicolas Sarkozy named Francois Fillon as
prime minister yesterday, banking on the moderate conservative's
negotiating skills to push through sweeping reforms in the face of
union resistance.
On his first full day in office, Sarkozy held a breakfast
meeting with Fillon before confirming the appointment of the
53-year-old who masterminded Sarkozy's presidential campaign.
Fillon worked with powerful trade unions when he was social
affairs minister to push through sensitive pension reforms in 2003,
making him a natural choice to spearhead Sarkozy's changes to labor
laws and the pensions system.
"In a world of 6 billion human beings, the 60 million French
people must remain united. That is the spirit of openness that the
president wants," Fillon said at a handover ceremony with outgoing
Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin.
"I will listen to everyone because a France in motion needs
everyone."
Fillon's cool temperament contrasts with Sarkozy's high-octane
personality. Commentators have said that in the "calm break" with
the past that Sarkozy has called for, the right-winger is the break
while Fillon is the calm.
The prime minister heads the government and is in charge of
carrying out policy while the president has traditionally had a
more hands-off role, overseeing government without necessarily
being involved in daily details.
Sarkozy, however, has said he wants to play a more active role
during his five-year term.
"The people have entrusted me with a mandate. I will fulfil it.
I will fulfil it scrupulously," Sarkozy said in his inaugural
speech after taking over from Jacques Chirac on Wednesday.
To do that, he needs to secure a majority in June's
parliamentary election or face "cohabiting" with a left-wing
government, which would compromise his reform agenda and limit his
role to little more than handling foreign affairs and defence.
An IPSOS poll on Wednesday put support for his UMP party at 40
percent, an improvement of 1.5 points compared to the last election
in 2002, which the right won. The opposition Socialists and their
allies were roughly unchanged at 28 percent.
Fillon's openness to negotiation with the unions is regarded as
a key asset that will be crucial in implementing reforms.
Union leaders have said the fact Sarkozy won 53 percent of the
vote in the May 6 presidential run-off ballot did not mean they
could be steamrolled into accepting his program.
Sarkozy is set to name a slimmed-down Cabinet of 15 full
ministers today, half of them women, and French media said it could
hold its first session this afternoon.
The Cabinet line-up remains largely unclear. However, popular
left-winger Bernard Kouchner appeared set to become foreign
minister, a move that ties in with Sarkozy's pledge to focus on
human rights.
The new president has vowed to move quickly to implement his
campaign promises but will want to avoid a repeat of last year's
botched youth labor reforms, which Villepin was forced to withdraw
after nationwide protests.
(China Daily May 18, 2007)
