French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday named centre-right Les Republicains party Édouard Philipp as the country's new Prime Minister.
The move is being seen by many as tactic adopted by Macron to draw key figures from both the right and left of French politics.
Philippe, a one-time socialist, has been mayor of the northern port town of Le Havre since 2010 and an MP for the region since 2012.
"He is also an MP who knows the workings of parliament like the back of his hand. Therefore, he has, I believe, all the qualities necessary to take on this difficult role the president has just given him," France 24 quoted Macron's spokesperson, Benjamin Griveaux, who told Europe 1 radio, on Monday.
Philippe is pro-European. He is a trained lawyer and worked as a public affairs director for the French state nuclear group Areva between 2007 and 2010.
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