(Bloomberg) -- French President Francois Hollande named Bernard Cazeneuve as his new prime minister to lead the government for the final months before presidential elections in April next year.
Cazeneuve, 53, will take office Tuesday and is set to unveil his cabinet in the coming hours. He replaces Manuel Valls, who said on Monday that he will seek the Socialist candidacy for the presidency.
Bernard Cazeneuve
As head of the Interior Ministry from 2015, Cazeneuve oversaw France's security measures following terrorist attacks that left over 200 dead. The Socialist politician, who comes from the western shipbuilding city of Cherbourg, served as Hollande's minister for European affairs and then budget minister between 2012 and 2014. Cazeneuve, a trusted Hollande aide, was his close adviser during the presidential campaign five years ago.
Spanish-born Valls will have to face off party rivals in the Socialist primary in January if he is to be able to join the presidential race. His bid came after Hollande said he wouldn't seek re-election because divisions on the left risk handing the presidency to extremist parties.
To contact the reporter on this story: Helene Fouquet in Paris at hfouquet1@bloomberg.net. To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alan Crawford at acrawford6@bloomberg.net, Jana Randow
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