UPDATE - France's new government unveiled

CHANGES HEADLINE, DECK, LEDE; ADDS MORE INFORMATION

By Nur Asena Erturk

ANKARA (AA) – The French presidency on Thursday unveiled the new government after Gabriel Attal was appointed prime minister.

European Parliament member Stephane Sejourne was appointed as foreign minister, the French presidency announced, and he will replace Catherine Colonna, who occupied the post since 2022.

While some ministers kept their portfolios, including Bruno Le Maire as economy minister, Gerald Darmanin as interior minister, Eric Dupond-Moretti as justice minister, and Sebastien Lecornu as defense minister, some new figures entered the Cabinet.

Prisca Thevenot will now replace Olivier Veran as government spokesperson.

Catherine Vautrin will take Agnes Firmin-Le Bodo's place, who was appointed in December 2023 when Health Minister Aurelien Rousseau resigned to protest the much-contested law on immigration.

Vautrin will also be in charge of labor issues, her ministry hence being called Labor and Health Ministry. She will fill in Olivier Dussopt's chair after he faced criticism during last year's pension reform.

Rachida Dati is now leading the Culture Ministry, while Marc Fesneau kept his functions as agriculture minister.

Besides her role as sports minister, Amelie Oudea-Castera will also fill the void of Gabriel Attal's departure from the Education Ministry.

Gabriel Attal told broadcaster TF1 amid the Cabinet reshuffle that he wants "actions" and "results." He admitted that the ministers had their political past with some having left-wing and others having right-wing tendencies.

A new Cabinet was pulled together after the nomination of a new prime minister, following Elisabeth Borne's resignation on Monday.

President Emmanuel Macron accepted Borne's resignation and replaced her with Education Minister Gabriel Attal.