Chirac names Raffarin as new French Prime Minister

French President Jacques Chirac has named conservative senator Jean-Pierre Raffarin as the country’s new Prime Minister.

The announcement came after socialist Prime Minister Lionel Jospin officially announced his resignation following his defeat in the first round of the presidential elections last week.

53-year-old Mr Raffarin, a member of the Liberal Democracy Party, is a former businessman and a supporter of greater free trade.

He will now head a new conservative government and will help President Chirac in his attempt to rally the right wing of French politics in next month’s crucial parliamentary elections.