Edouard Philippe, a 46-year-old centre-right French politician and lawyer, has been named prime minister by Emmanuel Macron, France’s new president.
Macron announced Philippe’s appointment on Monday, his first day in office after his inauguration on Sunday.
Philippe has been a member of the Union for a Popular Movement and later the Republicans. He has also served as a member of the National Assembly.
By picking him, Macron, a centrist, has sent a signal to attract other young modernisers from the Republicans to his new centrist party, La Republique En Marche (Republic on the Move or REM), which will contest parliamentary elections in June.
Macron, a former minister and investment banker, was elected as the country’s youngest-ever leader since Napoleon on May 7.
Philippe is mayor of the northern port of Le Havre and an MP for the region since 2012 who studied at the same universities as Macron and shares many of his views on the economy and social issues.
-aljazeera
-Agencies
