Macron taps Jean Castex to be France’s new PMJuly 3, 2020 - 16:23 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - French President Emmanuel Macron tapped Jean Castex to be his new Prime Minister as he seeks to inject momentum into his presidency after a disastrous showing in June municipal elections, Bloomberg reports. The 55-year-old is a fresh face in the French political scene -- so his appointment to replace Edouard Philippe, a popular figure among voters, is telling. Macron has picked a largely unknown bureaucrat and removed a potential rival who had overshadowed him and could have a half eye on the 2022 presidential elections. Castex is associated with the conservative Republican party, as opposed to Macron’s centrist leanings, and he coordinated France’s reopening after the pandemic forced a lockdown. This is the first announcement of what promises to be a major reshuffle of Macron’s cabinet and comes as the French president is trying to reinvent himself in time for re-election. He underestimated the impact of the Yellow Vests, which morphed from a grassroots movement opposed to higher fuel taxes into a nationwide phenomenon that at its peak turned violent. The protesters never went away, the list of grievances instead just grew longer. They now join unions in opposing an overhaul to a generous pension system made all the more unaffordable by an economy in recession. There is unhappiness with his uneven handling of a pandemic that has caused nearly 30,000 French deaths. His Republic on the Move party was broadly rejected in a June 28 municipal ballot that saw the Green Party gain strongholds throughout the country. Since early June, Castex, who’s also the mayor of Prades, a small town in Southern France famous for its cello festival, is back at handling preparations for the 2024 Olympic Games, overseeing a complex coordination with the Paris and national authorities as well as public transportation companies and private sponsors. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Government reveals details from Pashinyan’s meeting in border village Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has met with a group of residents of a border village in Armenia’s northern Tavush province Narek Manasyan wins European Boxing Championships silver for Armenia Armenia’s Narek Manasyan (92kg) won Armenia’s second silver medal at the European Boxing Championships 2024 on April 28. Blinken urges Azerbaijan to continue negotiations with Armenia Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has urged Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to continue negotiations with Armenia. Pashinyan, Blinken talk Armenia-U.S. ties over the phone Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 28, Pashinyan’s office reports. |