The French presidency on Friday announced that PM Edouard Philippe and his government have resigned.
French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe resigned on Friday ahead of a government reshuffle by President Emmanuel Macron designed to bolster his green credentials and win back disillusioned voters ahead of a possible re-election bid.
The Elysee Palace said in a statement that Philippe would handle government affairs until a new cabinet was named.
A new French prime minister will be named in the next few hours, the Elysee Palace added on Friday, as President Emmanuel Macron readies a reshuffle.
Questions over Philippe’s job had swirled since mid-June when Macron declared he wanted to “reivent” his presidency. In French government reshuffles, the prime minister tenders his or her resignation ahead of cabinet appointments but can still be re-named to the position.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday the next phase of his presidency will be embodied by a new government team, but he remained coy about the future of his prime minister.
Macron told regional newspapers in an interview that one of the reforms he would want to push in the final two years of his term was the overhaul of the pension system.
“The new phase entails new goals of independence, reconstruction, reconciliation and new methods. Behind that there will be a new team,” Macron told La Montagne newspaper.
There has been mounting speculation of a government reshuffle after last Sunday’s local elections saw the Greens trounce Macron’s laRem party and take control of big cities.
