FRANCE: PRESIDENT CHIRAC ORDERS GOVERNMENT REHUFFLE BUT RETAINS PRIME MINISTER JEAN-PIERRE RAFFARIN AFTER DISAPPOINTING REGIONAL ELECTIONS
Record ID:
442985
FRANCE: PRESIDENT CHIRAC ORDERS GOVERNMENT REHUFFLE BUT RETAINS PRIME MINISTER JEAN-PIERRE RAFFARIN AFTER DISAPPOINTING REGIONAL ELECTIONS
- Title: FRANCE: PRESIDENT CHIRAC ORDERS GOVERNMENT REHUFFLE BUT RETAINS PRIME MINISTER JEAN-PIERRE RAFFARIN AFTER DISAPPOINTING REGIONAL ELECTIONS
- Date: 30th March 2004
- Summary: (W5) PARIS, FRANCE (MARCH 30, 2004) (REUTERS) 1. WIDE OF NEWSPAPER KIOSK IN STREET 0.04 2. SLV PEOPLE AT NEWSPAPER STAND 0.09 3. CLOSE OF NEWSPAPER STACKS AT KIOSK 0.13 4. CLOSE OF LIBERATION'S FRONT PAGE: 'STILL HERE' 0.16 5. CLOSE OF FRANCE SOIR'S FRONT PAGE: 'WHAT? YOU DON'T WANT REFORMS?' 0.19 6. CLOSE OF L'EXPRESS MAGAZINE FRONT COVER: 'STORM ON THE GOVERNMENT' 0.23 7. PAN ON LE FIGARO'S HEADLINE: 'RAFFARIN'S SUSPENSE' 0.33 8. SLV PEOPLE WALKING ON STREET 0.38 9. SCU SOUNDBITE) (French) UNIDENTIFIED PASSER-BY SAYING: "The president was right to keep Raffarin because of the reforms that he is about to put in place. He is keeping an unpopular Prime Minister in order to carry out those reforms." 0.51 10. SCU (SOUNDBITE) (French) UNIDENTIFIED PASSER-BY SAYING: "Reform is good, but it not should be a repressive reform. Rather they need to be reforms that will satisfy everyone, those that touch all social levels, in fact." 1.04 11. WIDE OF PEOPLE WALKING ON STREET 1.09 12. SCU (SOUNDBITE) (French) PASSER-BY 'EMMANUELLE' SAYING: "I think it is him [Raffarin] who needs to go; it's not the others that are on the front line, but him. So for me it's up to him to resign and for the others maybe to be kept, a certain number of them risk being changed but they would be the ones we least hear about, the smaller ministers who are not really responsible for the politics of the government." 1.28 13. SCU (SOUNDBITE) (French) UNIDENTIFIED PASSER-BY SAYING: "There is a forthcoming round that is the European elections and evidently there will be more surprises. Until the presidential elections, I think the swing of the pendulum is going to continue more and more quickly and more and more strongly." 1.44 14. WIDE PEOPLE EATING AND DRINKING COFFEE ON TERRACE CAFE 1.49 (W5) FILE: PARIS, FRANCE (JUNE 19, 2002) (REUTERS) 15. SLV FRENCH PRESIDENT JACQUES CHIRAC AND PRIME MINISTER JEAN-PIERRE RAFFARIN WALKING IN FRONT OF ELYSEE PALACE FOR FIRST MINISTER COUNCIL'S PHOTO OPPORTUNITY 1.54 16. PRESIDENT JACQUES CHIRAC AND PRIME MINISTER SLV JEAN-PIERRE RAFFARIN TAKING PLACE ON ELYSEE STEPS WITH OTHER GOVERNMENT MINISTERS 2.02 17. CLOSE-UP OF RAFFARIN AND PRESIDENT JACQUES CHIRAC 2.07 18. VARIOUS OF PRESIDENT JACQUES CHIRAC AND PRIME MINISTER JEAN-PIERRE RAFFARIN SURROUNDED BY MINISTERS 2.15 19. CLOSE OF CHIRAC 2.20 20. VARIOUS OF MINISTERS LEAVING PHOTOCALL 2.31 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 14th April 2004 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: PARIS, FRANCE
- Country: France
- Reuters ID: LVABP0A7JSYMSWW776VG75TQM34N
- Story Text: President Jacques Chirac keeps unpopular prime
minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin despite massive defeat in
regional elections.
French President Jacques Chirac gambled on Tuesday
(March 30) on keeping his unpopular prime minister,
Jean-Pierre Raffarin, but ordered a government reshuffle
after his conservatives were routed in regional elections.
The decision shocked many because Sunday's defeat had
been interpreted as a vote of no confidence in Raffarin and
his economic policies and it raised further doubts about
the pace and depth of cost-cutting reforms.
"The president was right to keep Raffarin because of
the reforms that he is about to put in place," a passer-by
told Reuters Television just minutes after Chirac's
decision was known. "He is keeping an unpopular Prime
Minister in order to carry out those reforms."
Another person said:
"Reform is good, but it not should be a repressive reform.
Rather they need to be reforms that will satisfy everyone,
those that touch all social levels, in fact."
Raffarin is now expected to push ahead with unpopular
reforms such as cost cutting in the public healthcare
system. But he may not go as far or fast as originally
planned and could still be made a scapegoat if protests
continue and June's European Parliament election goes badly.
Another passer-by, 'Emmanuelle', told Reuters: "I think
it is him [Raffarin] who needs to go; it's not the others
that are on the front line, but him. So for me it's up to
him to resign and for the others maybe to be kept, a
certain number of them risk being changed but they would be
the ones we least hear about, the smaller ministers who are
not really responsible for the politics of the government."
A fourth person said: "There is a forthcoming round
that is the European elections, and evidently there will be
more surprises. Until the presidential elections, I think
the swing of the pendulum is going to continue more and
more quickly and more and more strongly", said another
passer-by.
Raffarin said nothing to reporters after more than one
hour of talks with Chirac on Tuesday and meetings on Monday.
The Left won 50 per cent of the vote to 37 per cent for
the centre-right in Sunday's round of regional elections
widely seen as a censure of the government over high
unemployment and the reform programme.
Surveys after the election suggested a majority of
voters wanted Raffarin to quit and Chirac to name a new
prime minister. Chirac had the option of promoting the
popular interior minister, Nicolas Sarkozy, but their
relations are strained and Sarkozy has overt presidential
ambitions. Instead, Chirac is expected to give Sarkozy
wider responsibilities.
Chirac is likely to keep his foreign and defence
ministers but may remove Finance Minister Francis Mer and
others.
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