French PM retained, Chirac for reshuffle

Raffarin left the presidential palace smiling after a tense two days. ‘‘He (Chirac) named Jean-Pierre Raffarin as the Prime Minister and asked him to form a new government,’’ the presidency said, adding that the new team would be announced on Wednesday.

The Socialist Party and its allies won a landslide victory in this month’s election to France’s 26 regional councils.

Raffarin is now expected to push ahead with unpopular reforms such as cost cutting in the public healthcare system. But he may not go as far or fast as originally planned — and could still be made a scapegoat if protests continue or expand and June’s European Parliament election goes badly.

Paul Bacot, a political scientist said: ‘‘If Chirac wants to continue with the reforms, it is better they be done by Raffarin, who is already worn out and very unpopular.’’

But others were less convinced. Political scientist Mariette Sineau said: ‘‘I think this is risky, if you consider the scale of the government’s defeat in the elections.’’ ‘‘There’s a risk of people taking to the streets to voice their anger.’’

The Left won 50 per cent of the vote to 37 per cent for the Centre-Right in a round of regional polls seen as a censure of the government over high unemployment and the reform programme. —Reuters