Interim Cabinet Includes Female Defense Minister
FRANCE
New Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin selected a veteran diplomat to lead the Foreign Ministry, appointed a philosopher to oversee education and--for the first time--put a woman in charge of defense.
Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin and Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie were among the 21 appointees. The interim Cabinet includes some unconventional choices, such as a steel magnate for the finance portfolio, and a beefed-up Interior Ministry.
The appointments reflect newly reelected President Jacques Chirac’s pledges to respond quickly to widespread concerns about crime, jobs and the economy, and to show that he heard the message of discontented voters, who backed rightist Jean-Marie Le Pen.
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