Who is the Prime Minister of France?

Answer 1

The current Prime Minister of France is Dominique de Villepin (Dominique Marie François René Galouzeau de Villepin) having served in that capacity since 31 May 2005 following the resignation of Jean-Pierre Raffarin. The official residence of the Prime Minister is the Hôtel Matignon.

He was born on 14 November 1953 in Rabat, Morocco. He is the son of Yvonne Hétier, a senior administrative court counsel, and of Xavier de Villepin, senator (Union Centriste group) representing French citizens residing outside of France since 1986. He obtained Bachelor’s degree in literature at the Ecole Nationale d’Administration (January 1978-May 1980, the “Voltaire” graduating class) and law Degree from the Institute for Political Studies.

>>His career:
Appointed and certified as foreign affairs secretary, 1 June 1980.

Ministry for Foreign Affairs (African and Malagasy Affairs), 1980-81; African and Malagasy Affairs and Centre for Analysis and Forecasting, 1981-84.

May 1984-July 1987: Leaves for Washington, where he serves as first secretary of the French Embassy to the United States. At the time of Irangate and the arms-for-hostages scandal, he is the officer responsible for problems in the Middle East.

1987-89: He becomes director of the press and information unit of the French Embassy to the United States.

Second councillor of the French Embassy in New Delhi, 1989-90; first councillor in the same posting, 1990-92.

Ministry for Foreign Affairs (African and Malagasy Affairs), assistant director, 1992-93.

Ministry for Foreign Affairs: principal private secretary to the Minister, 1993-95.

January 1996-May 1999: Succeeds René Souchon as chairman of the Board of Governors of the National Forestry Office (Office national des forêts - ONF).

Secretary-General of the Presidency of the Republic, May 1995-May 2002.

>>Ministerial posts:
Minister for Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and the French-speaking Countries, May 2002 to March 2004.

Appointed Minister for the Interior, Internal Security and Local Freedoms in March 2004.

As the Prime Minister of France (Premier ministre de la France), he is the functional head of the Cabinet of France. The Prime Minister is the only authority vested with the power to issue primary regulation through decrees (décrets); that is, measures of a general character, either issued in support of statutes, or issued autonomously, depending on the area. Decrees and decisions of the Prime Minister, are subject to the oversight of the administrative court system. Because the Prime Minister is ultimately responsible for governmental policy, he is generally blamed for the government's failings. As a consequence, the popularity of a prime minister may start high, then plummet, depending on circumstances.

The Prime Minister is named by the President of the Republic. President and a prime minister have different political leanings which yields a situation known as cohabitation, where the executive is headed by a president and a prime minister of different opinion.

This career diplomat is married to Marie-Laure Le Guay, and they have three teenaged children, Marie, Arthur and Victoire de Villepin. He has written poetry, a book about poetry, and several historical and political essays.

It has speculated that Villepin will run for presidency post in the 2007 Presidential election when the current President Chirac retires.☺

Answer 2

Dominique Marie François René Galouzeau de Villepin (born 14 November 1953 in Rabat, Morocco) simply known as Dominique de Villepin, is a French diplomat and politician. He is PRIME MINISTER of France, having served in that capacity since 31 May 2005.


Jacques René Chirac (born November 29, 1932 in Paris) is a French politician and the current PRESIDENT of the French Republic. He was elected to this office in 1995 and re-elected in 2002. His current term expires in 2007.

Answer 3

Dominique Marie François René Galouzeau de Villepin (born 14 November 1953 in Rabat, Morocco) simply known as Dominique de Villepin , is a French diplomat and politician. He is Prime Minister of France, having served in that capacity since 31 May 2005.

A career diplomat, Villepin rose through the ranks of the French right as one of Jacques Chirac's protégés. He came into the international spotlight as Foreign Minister, with his opposition to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and recently with his appointment as Prime Minister.

He is married to Marie-Laure Le Guay, and they have three children, Marie, Arthur, and Victoire. He has written poetry, a book about poetry, and several historical and political essays.

With Alain Juppé barred from holding political office following a conviction for illegal party financing through a fake jobs plan, President Chirac is said to have turned his eye on Villepin as a possible successor, should he himself decide not to enter the 2007 presidential contest. However, Nicolas Sarkozy would probably be in a better position to secure the endorsement of the centre-right UMP party; a bitter rivalry is thus said to exist between Sarkozy and Villepin.

On 29 May 2005, French voters in the referendum on the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe turned down the proposed document by a wide margin. This was generally regarded as a rebuke to President Chirac and his government. Two days later, Raffarin resigned and Chirac appointed Villepin as Prime Minister of France.

Talk increasingly is turning, in France, to Villepin's probable candidacy in the next Presidential election, in 2007, when President Chirac is expected to retire. Chirac's absence for ill health at the recent UN summit provided a "place in the sun", for Villepin as his substitute there, raising protest cries of "dynasty" from their opponents: for instance, editor Jean-Marie Colombani of Le Monde, on 13 September 2005, wrote

... a dynastic succession, coordinated to reveal the selection of a 'dauphin' for France. The most spectacular moment being the meeting at the UN between Dominique de Villepin and George Bush, a formidable signal that President Chirac has chosen his own successor.

France , officially the French Republic (French: République française, IPA: [ʁepyblik fʁɑ̃sɛz]), is a country whose metropolitan territory is located in Western Europe and which also comprises various overseas islands and territories located in other continents. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean. French people often refer to Metropolitan France as L'Hexagone (The "Hexagon") because of the geometric shape of its territory.

France is bordered by Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Monaco, Andorra, and Spain. In some of its overseas departments, France also shares land borders with Brazil, Suriname, and the Netherlands Antilles. France is also linked to the United Kingdom via the Channel Tunnel, which passes underneath the English Channel (La Manche in French).

Motto: Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité
"Liberty, Equality, Fraternity"
Anthem: La Marseillaise
Capital
(and largest city) Paris
48°52′N 2°19.59′E
Official languages French
Government Unitary republic
- President Jacques Chirac
- Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin
Formation
- French State 843 (Treaty of Verdun)
- Current constitution 1958 (5th Republic)
Accession to EU March 25, 1957
Area
- Total 1 674,843 km² (40th)
260,558 sq mi
- Metropolitan France 551,695 km² (47th)
213,010 sq mi
- Land area 2 543,965 km² (47th)
210,026 sq mi
Population
- Jan 2006 estimate
- Total1 63,587,700 (20th)
- Metropolitan France 61,044,684 (20th)
- Density 112/km² (89th)
291/sq mi

Answer 4

Francois Mitterand!