French PM, Edouard Philippe Quits
French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has tendered his resignation after heading the government of President Emmanuel Macron for three years.
This comes after the ruling La République En Marche (Republic on the Move) recorded poor local election results at the weekend.
Mr Philippe met the president and they agreed the government would resign, with President Macron promising a “new path”.
Under France’s constitution, the prime minister is appointed by the president to run the government and co-ordinate its actions under policies set out by the president.
The BBC reports that a reshuffle has been expected for some time, and it is common practice for a French president to replace a prime minister during the five-year term in office known as the “quinquennat”.
The Elysée palace said in a statement that Edouard Philippe had “today handed in the government’s resignation to the president of the republic, who accepted it”, adding that he would stay in place until a new government was appointed.