French President Nicolas Sarkozy has appointed a moderate conservative, Francois Fillon, as his Prime Minister.
Mr Fillon was an adviser to Mr Sarkozy and was expected to be offered the position.
The 53-year-old senator from the ruling UMP party worked closely with Mr Sarkozy on his election campaign and has experience in pensions reform which will be a key asset to the new government.
The appointment was announced in a presidential statement a day after Mr Sarkozy took over as head of state from Jacques Chirac.
A handover ceremony with the outgoing Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin took place this morning at the Matignon, the official residence of the Prime Minister.
Mr Fillon made his mark as a reformer as social affairs minister under Jacques Chirac from 2002 to 2004, when he carried out an overhaul of the French pension system, facing down large street protests.
Mr Sarkozy's jogging partner throughout the election campaign, Mr Fillon’s friendship with the right-winger dates back to the 1990s but he threw all of his energy into building up his electoral machine after losing his government post in a reshuffle in 2005.
His low-key demeanour is often described as complementary to the new President's hyper-active side.
Mr Sarkozy, who was elected on 6 May, is expected to announce the full line-up of his 15-member government tomorrow.
