Sarkozy names new justice, interior, labour ministers (Roundup)

Jun 23, 2009, 19:04 GMT

Paris - French President Nicolas Sarkozy late Tuesday re-shuffled his government for the third time in a little more than two years, changing eight ministerial and junior ministerial posts.

As announced by the head of Sarkozy's office at the Elysee Palace, Claude Gueant, Interior Minister Michele Alliot-Marie replaces Rachida Dati as Justice Minister and sees her status elevated to that of minister of state.

The daughter of Moroccan immigrants, Dati was a symbol of Sarkozy's social openness to women and minorities. But she fell out of favour because of her flamboyant and often strident personality.

Sarkozy obliged her to stand in this month's EU elections as a means of gently removing her from the government, and she was easily elected.

Sarkozy's close political ally and friend Brice Hortefeux replaces Alliot-Marie as Interior Minister after a disappointing, brief stint as Labour Minister. Education Minister Xavier Darcos replaces Hortefeux at the Labour Ministry.

Government spokesman Luc Chatel was named to replace Darcos as Education Minister.

As he himself announced earlier Tuesday, Frederic Mitterand, a nephew of former Socialist president Francois Mitterand, is the new Culture Minister, replacing Christine Albanel.

The move will be seen as an expression of Sarkozy's dissatisfaction with Albanel's failure to draw up a credible law against internet piracy.

The law she pushed through Parliament was struck down on June 10 by the Constitutional Council, a body roughly equivalent to the US Supreme Court.

Junior Minister for European Affairs Bruno Le Maire was named Agriculture Minister, replacing Michel Barnier, who was also elected to the EU parliament.

Sarkozy said Monday that the government re-shuffle would be announced on Wednesday. But Mitterand's public declaration on Tuesday that he was the new Minister of Culture apparently forced his hand.

The re-shuffle was more extensive than had been foreseen, with analysts suggesting that Sarkozy wanted to infuse new blood into his government at the halfway point of his five-year mandate.