Sarkozy chooses Socialist as Foreign Minister
Tuesday, 15 May 2007
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In a conciliatory gesture to left-wing voters, France's president-elect, Nicolas Sarkozy, has offered the high-profile post of Foreign Minister to the popular Socialist politician, Bernard Kouchner.
M. Kouchner, 67, one of the founders of Médécins sans Frontières, is likely to be named as part of the first government of the Sarkozy era at the end of this week.
The choice is somewhat surprising. As a former UN administrator in Kosovo, M. Kouchner is reasonably experienced in foreign affairs.
He was, however, one of the leaders of the May 1968 left-wing, student revolt, whose "moral legacy" was savaged by M. Sarkozy during the recent presidential campaign.
M. Sarkozy had been criticised for mounting a divisive campaign, which often seemed to appeal to the tribal instincts of the right. He has promised to govern for "the whole of France" and, therefore, to open his administration to senior figures from the opposition.
In naming his first government, M. Sarkozy has to reconcile three conflicting campaign promises: to give half the senior posts to women; to open his administration to the left and centre; and to reduce the number of full ministerial positions to 15. To solve this conundrum, M. Sarkozy will have to disappoint many senior figures and close allies on the centre-right.
Angry words are already said to have been exchanged with the Defence Minister, Michèle Alliot-Marie, who had expected a move to foreign affairs.
The foreign affairs job was also discussed with Hubert Védrine, who held the post under the Socialist Prime Minister, Lionel Jospin, in 1997-2002. A number of sources said yesterday, however, that the final choice would be doctor-turned politician M. Kouchner, a popular figure in France.
The other near-certainty in the new government is François Fillon, 53, who will become Prime Minister. Mme Alliot-Marie may move to justice or remain at defence.
M. Sarkozy also plans to split the sprawling economics ministry into a strategic ministry for economic affairs and a managerial ministry for employment, finance and the budget.
The likely head of the new economics ministry is Jean-Louis Borloo, seen as a consensual figure who will be able to smooth negotiations on social reform with the trades unions.
M. Sarkozy had preliminary talks with union leaders yesterday and promised to negotiate, rather than bulldoze through, his plans for changes in unemployment and trades union law.
Meanwhile, controversy swirled around M. Sarkozy's marriage and his friendly relations with France's media barons after it was suggested he had a story quashed about his wife not voting in the second round of the presidential elections.
The Sunday newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche - which like its influential sister publication Paris-Match is owned by the Hachette-Lagardére media group - had planned to publish the story about Cécilia Sarkozy.
The newspaper's editor, Jacques Espérandieu, denied yesterday that he had been placed under any pressure by Hachette-Lagardère, which is controlled by a friend of M. Sarkozy's, Arnaud Lagardère.
M. Esperandieu said he removed the story because he decided that it infringed Mme Sarkozy's right to privacy. There have been reports in the foreign press, including The Independent, of a rift in the Sarkozy marriage.
Mme Sarkozy, who disappeared from public view during the campaign, re-appeared late on election night nine days ago.
Two unions in the Hachette-Lagardère group complained that the story had been "censored" by the management, "to please the president-elect, or maybe on his orders".
