France has a new prime minister: Bernard Cazeneuve to lead government until May elections

French President Francois Hollande has appointed Bernard Cazeneuve to lead the French government as prime minister until the presidential elections scheduled for May, writes The Guardian, as reported by Patria.

Until recently Minister of the Interior, Cazeneuve will replace Manuel Valls, who submitted his resignation this morning after announcing his intention to become the next president of France.

The new prime minister is tasked with appointing a government, but no major changes are expected in the remaining five months of the socialist government in office.

This was followed by the appointment of a new Minister of the Interior – the 51-year-old Bruno Le Roux, president of the socialist group in the National Assembly. The ministerial position is his first appointment in the state government.

The 53-year-old Cazeneuve, one of Hollande's most loyal associates, was not widely known to the French public until his appointment as government spokesman in 2012. He took over as Minister of the Economy after Jerome Cahuzac resigned amid a financial scandal. In 2014, he was promoted to the position of Minister of the Interior, the French equivalent of the Home Office. Following a series of terrorist attacks carried out by Islamic extremists over the past two years, including those in Paris, Cazeneuve became known to the public for his agile engagement on the case.

His number of supporters is growing day by day, thanks to his results, as well as his sober and discreet demeanor, and his convincing and reassuring manner of speaking.

A lawyer by profession, Cazeneuve has been a member of parliament since 1997 and was mayor of Cherbourg from 2001 to 2012, when he resigned to join the government. He has two children.