17 October 2018 11:43 am
DPA, 16th OCTOBER, 2018-Two weeks after the resignation of French interior minister Gerard Collomb, President Emmanuel Macron has announced a successor to the post as part of a wider government reshuffle.
Collomb’s successor will be the leader of La Republique en Marche (LREM), Christophe Castaner, the Elysee Palace announced on Tuesday.
Castaner, part of Macron’s inner circle, will give up the party post.
In his inauguration speech, the new interior minister named the fight against terrorism and the safety of every resident as his priorities.
Laurent Nunez, who had headed the domestic intelligence agency, was appointed to Castaner’s side as future secretary of state on Tuesday.
The cabinet’s new culture minister is Franck Riester, the new minister for agriculture is Didier Guillaume and Jacqueline Gourault was named the new minister of territorial cohesion.
Macron and French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe had taken an unusually long time to announce the reshuffle, which drew criticism from the opposition, who last week called the delays a “tragicomedy.”
The reshuffle comes as Macron seeks to regain momentum in the face of poor polling figures after a difficult summer.
Collomb’s brusque departure on October 2 added to an impression of disarray after popular environment minister Nicolas Hulot resigned live on air in August. The departure of Collomb was a tough blow for Macron, as the ex-mayor of Lyon was an important, long-standing supporter. The president’s summer had already been spoiled by a scandal over an alleged assault on protesters by a presidential security aide.