Elysee Palace unveils new center-right cabinet

Secretary-General of the Elysee Palace Alexis M. Kohler announced on Saturday a shakeup of the cabinet aimed to break the political stalemate that followed the snap legislative elections of last July. The new cabinet, led by Prime Minister Michel Barnier, will convene its maiden meeting on Monday, Kohler said at press conference. Several right-wing ministers of the last cabinet were reappointed in the new lineup; these include Sebastien Lecornu who retained the portfolio of the armed forces, Rachida Dati - minister of culture, and Agnes Pannier-Runacher - minister of ecological transition, energy, climate and risk prevention. Jean-Noel Barrot was named minister for Europe and foreign affairs; head of the Republicans group in the Senate Bruno Retailleau - interior minister; Antoine Armand - finance minister, Didier Migaud - minister of justice; Genevieve Darrieusecq - minister of health and access to care; and Astrid Panosyan-Bouvet - minister of labor and employment. The new cabinet members also includes Anne Genetet as minister of national education; Gil Averous as minister of sports, youth and community life; Patrick Hetzel as minister of higher education and research; Astrid Panosyan-Bouvet as minister of labor and employment; Agnes Canayer as minister of solidarity, autonomy and equality between women and men. Representatives of the far-right National Rally party - led by Marine Le Pen, and the left-wing alliance New Popular Front were excluded from the new government. Since the July elections, France has seen nearly two months of political uncertainty with Left-wing parties, environmentalists and feminist groups, staging protests against the policies of the outgoing cabinet. Source: Kuwait News Agency