French govt. resigns to pave way for new President

President-elect Francois Hollande shakes hands with onlookers during a ceremony in Paris on Thursday. French Prime Minister Francois Fillon’s government has resigned as Mr. Hollande prepares to take office.

French Prime Minister Francois Fillon’s government has resigned, in a big yet symbolic step as Socialist President-elect Francois Hollande prepares to take office in five days.

The Prime Minister’s office said Mr. Fillon appointed by President Nicolas Sarkozy had notified Mr. Sarkozy by letter on Thursday that he and his Ministers are resigning. The conservative President lost his bid for a second mandate to Mr. Hollande four days ago.

The formal resignation came shortly after the Constitutional Council validated the election results, announcing that Mr. Hollande won with 51.6 per cent of the votes, 3.2 per cent more than Mr. Sarkozy received.