Post date: May 13, 2012 12:11:44 PM
PARIS, FRANCE (OCTOBER 22, 2011) (SOCIALIST PARTY POOL) - Talk spread round the French political establishment on Sunday (May 13) about which senior Socialists might be given key posts in the government of president-elect Francois Hollande.
A run down of the Socialists tipped for high office in the government presided by Francois Hollande ahead of the official announcement expected this week.
Hollande seized the presidency from the incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy exactly a week ago but the official handover of power, and the appointment of the new government, is expected this week.
Hollande's election marks the first time a Socialist has held the keys to the Elysee in 17 years so the French people can expect to see a smattering of new faces as well as some more establishment figures around the table when the new President convenes his first cabinet meeting.
Hollande secured the Socialist Party nomination in October last year, having run successfully against a number of other senior figures in the party's first ever open primary.
His key rival in the battle for the nomination was Martine Aubry who is the current leader of the Socialist Party -- a post held by Hollande himself for ten years. The 61 year-old is the daughter of former European Commission President Jacques Delors and one of the figures touted as a possible prime minister.
As social affairs minister in the last Socialist government, Aubry was the architect of the much-disputed 35-hour working week and is popular with the left wing of the party. However, she scares the markets and her relationship with Hollande is said to be prickly despite the united front the two presented throughout the election. Aubry was critical of Hollande's running of the party when she took over the reins after he stood down.
This leaves the leader of the Socialists in the National Assembly, Jean-Marc Ayrault as the current front runner to be appointed prime minister. The Mayor of the western city of Nantes speaks fluent German which may well prove a useful asset in an Hollande government's dealings with Berlin which could be delicate. The president-elect spoke throughout his campaign of the need to add growth measures to the financial stability pact agreed among euro zone leaders in February, a move which could make the German government uneasy.
What's more the 62 year-old is more moderate than Aubry, and very close to Hollande.
A more unexpected contender for the premiership would be Michel Sapin, an old friend of Hollande who served in the finance ministry under Francois Mitterrand. Hollande and Sapin first met when they shared a dormitory during their military service and they then went on to study together at the elite ENA college. Sapin is seen as a likely contender to retake the finance ministry.
Prominent throughout the election was Hollande's campaign manager Pierre Moscovici who was minister for European affairs in the last Socialist-led government and has been tipped for the foreign ministry. Another name being mentioned is party heavyweight Laurent Fabius, one-time prime minister under Mitterrand, whose position on Europe has softened since he opposed the adoption of the European constitution in a 2005 referendum, helping to ensure its defeat.
Putting together a government, Hollande will be keen to include as many women as possible to signal changes at the top of the party, long-dominated by men. Defeated 2007 presidential hopeful Segolene Royal has indicated that she hopes to become president of the lower house of parliament after June elections.
But there will also be pressure to include some younger faces.
49 year-old Manuel Valls ran against Hollande in the Socialist primary but was subsequently appointed media chief in his campaign team. He is on the right wing of the party and has long coveted the interior ministry, where he would take a firm line on law and order, often seen as a weak spot of the left.
In order to signal diversity in his government, many also expect him to offer some junior posts to figures such as the young Fleur Pellerin, born in South Korea. The 38 year-old has been tipped for a post in charge of the digital economy -- her field of expertise during the campaign.
Final announcements are expected to be made this week.