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French cabinet reshuffle switches science minister

The nomination this week of Christine Lagarde, France’s finance minister, as head of the International Monetary Fund has prompted a cabinet reshuffle in the ruling conservative government, resulting in a change in the minister for science and higher education. Lagarde’s vacated ministerial position was filled by François Baroin, 46, former budget minister and government spokesperson. The two positions he’d held were in turn filled by Valérie Pécresse, 43 – a promotion for a rising star in French politics who had been science minister since president Nicolas Sarkozy nominated his first government in 2007 (read my 2008 interview with Pécresse ).

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