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Sarkozy Taps Close Adviser to Be PM

Ex-Chirac official is also president's jogging buddy

By Greg Atwan,  Newser User

Posted May 17, 2007 9:56 AM CDT

(Newser) – Nicolas Sarkozy named chief campaign adviser Francois Fillon his prime minister today, replacing firebrand Dominique de Villepin. Fillon, a right-of-center senator who directed an overhaul of France's pension system as a Chirac administration official, will lead Sarkozy's effort to institute reforms in employment and welfare laws. Fillon, whose wife is Welsh, is an "avowed Anglophile," the Telegraph reported.

Fillon publicly allied himself with Sarkozy during a long-running feud with outgoing president Jacques Chirac in 2005. His perilous post will be critical in securing parliamentary victories for Sarkozy's UPM party next month, and his diplomatic style will be vital as the new government tackles the reforms Sarkozy promised on the campaign trail.

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Newly named Prime Minister Francois Fillon, left, looks on from the steps of the Hotel Matignon, the office of the Prime Minister in Paris, after a handing over ceremony with outgoing Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, unseen, Thursday, May 17, 2007. Francois Fillon started his first day on the job...
Newly named Prime Minister Francois Fillon, left, looks on from the steps of the Hotel Matignon, the office of the Prime Minister in Paris, after a handing over ceremony with outgoing Prime Minister Dominique...   (Associated Press)
Outgoing Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, left, shakes hand with newly named Prime Minister Francois Fillon during a handover ceremony at the Hotel Matignon, the prime minister's office in Paris, Thursday, May 17, 2007. Francois Fillon started his first day on the job Thursday with a promise to implement President...
Outgoing Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, left, shakes hand with newly named Prime Minister Francois Fillon during a handover ceremony at the Hotel Matignon, the prime minister's office in Paris,...   (Associated Press)
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