France: President Macron Names Jean Castex As Prime Minister After Edouard Philippe’s Resignation

French President Emmanuel Macron has named a senior French civil servant, Jean Castex as his new prime minister.

The presidency in a brief statement stated that president of the Republic has named Jean Castex as prime minister and mandated him to form a government, BBC reports.

Castex is known for the key role he played in the government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic by coordinating France’s successful exit from lockdown.

This comes shortly after former Prime Minister Edouard Philippe and his entire government resigned as the president prepares to tackle the economic crisis resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Philippe tendered his resignation after heading President Emmanuel Macron‘s government for three years.

The Élysée Palace (the official residence of the President of France) announced early Friday that Philippe submitted his government’s resignation but would remain as head of an interim government until a new cabinet is named.

The statement from the palace reads;

Mr Édouard Philippe has today handed his resignation from the government to the president of the republic who has accepted it. He will remain, with other members of the government, to deal with current matters until the nomination of a new government.

Philippe, 49, was appointed in 2017 after Macron’s presidential election victory. At the time he was a member of the centre-right Les Républicains (LR) party.

The announcement of Philippe‘s resignation comes days after he was re-elected mayor of Le Havre with a large majority.

No reason was given in the short resignation statement, but a Cabinet shuffle had been widely expected for some time after President Emmanuel Macron promised a reshuffle for the last two years of his term.

It is common practice for a French president to replace a prime minister during the five-year term in office known as the ‘quinquennat’.