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Raffarin faces the axe
 President Jacques Chirac will announce a new government on Tuesday and then make a televised address to the nation, his office has said. A replacement for Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin has been expected after the rejection of the EU constitution in Sunday's referendum. Interior Minister Dominique de Villepin was widely tipped to get the job, though Defence Minister Michele Alliot-Marie and ruling party chief Nicolas Sarkozy have also been mentioned. Chirac will on Tuesday unveil decisions concerning his government, AP reported quoting Elysee Palace on Monday. An aide to Raffarin said he was expected to present his resignation to Chirac on Monday. Earlier on Monday, Chirac spent 30 minutes with Raffarin, who has been in office since May 2002. Other important figures called to the presidential palace included Nicolas Sarkozy, the ambitious head of the governing party, the Union for a Popular Movement, with his eye on the 2007 presidency. A chief rival of Chirac, he is among a handful of possible choices to replace Raffarin. Posted by: Fred 2005-05-31 |
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