French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve was named the country’s new Prime Minister on Tuesday after Manuel Valls resigned to seek the Socialist nomination in next year’s presidential election.
Mr. Cazeneuve, who has overseen the security forces’ reaction to a string of jihadist attacks that have killed more than 230 people in France over the past two years, will head the Socialist government until the election in May.
He was named to the post after President Francois Hollande accepted Mr. Valls’ resignation.
Preparing for the future
The government will work “up to the end, to its last day, to prepare the future”, Mr. Hollande told reporters on Tuesday.
Mr. Cazeneuve (53) has served in various government roles, including budget and Europe minister before becoming Interior Minister in April 2014. “He has a good knowledge of the security issues and the fight against terrorism, which are the government’s priorities,” said an aide to Mr. Hollande.
Mr. Cazeneuve will be replaced in the Interior Ministry by Bruno Le Roux, currently the leader of the Socialists in the lower house of Parliament.
