- Title: Two ministers quit French government as reshuffle looms
- Date: 20th June 2017
- Summary: PARIS, FRANCE (RECENT - MAY 31, 2017) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF ELYSEE PRESIDENTIAL PALACE FRENCH AND EUROPEAN FLAGS
- Embargoed: 4th July 2017 16:41
- Keywords: Sylve Goulard Marielle de Sarnez Edouard Philippe Ministers quit Richard Ferrand government reshuffle Emmanuel Macron France
- Location: PARIS, PAU AND MOTREFF, FRANCE
- City: PARIS, PAU AND MOTREFF, FRANCE
- Country: France
- Topics: Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA0016M337LZ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: French armed forces minister Sylvie Goulard unexpectedly quit her job on Tuesday (June 20), saying she did not want to stay on because of an investigation overshadowing her Modem party's affairs in the European parliament.
That followed an announcement late on Monday that Richard Ferrand, an aide to President Emmanuel Macron and minister for territorial planning, facing a separate judicial investigation, would move out of government to a job as leader of his party in parliament
Goulard is a member of Modem, the center-right party that allied itself to Macron's Republic on the Move (LREM) centrist party in the presidential and legislative elections. Since June 9, Modem has been the subject of an investigation into allegations of misuse of public funds.
After a solid win for his centrist Republic On the Move party in a parliamentary election on Sunday, Macron is preparing a government reshuffle before embarking on far-reaching economic and social reforms, including overhauling labor rules.
Macron appointed members of several parties among his ministers after he was elected president in May, including from Modem and the conservative The Republicans, seeking to further redraw a political landscape blown apart by his election on an independent centrist ticket.
De Sarnez, a Modem member appointed as junior European affairs minister and elected to France's parliament on Sunday (June 18), told Reuters she would be happy to stay on in government but would be equally happy to head the Modem group in parliament.
Being a target of a preliminary investigation in France is not an indication of guilt. Prosecutors can decide to either drop it or proceed to a full-fledged investigation. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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