France's Fabius leaves office ahead of wider reshuffle
GRAEME SMITH
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius has announced he is going to leave office in a move that is set to trigger a wider reshuffle of the unpopular…
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The Herald
President Francois Hollande has nominated Mr Fabius to head the country's top constitutional court.

The reshuffle is an opportunity for Mr Hollande to re-shape his team ahead of the 2017 presidential elections, as he seeks to improve his very low approval ratings.

Mr Hollande is fighting strong discontent in his Socialist party and amid allies over plans to strip French citizenship from people convicted of terrorism.

That plan passed a first hurdle in the lower house of parliament late on Tuesday, but the endless debates and government flip-flops have hurt Mr Hollande's already faltering chances of winning re-election next year.

Speculation is are rife in France over who could join his re-jigged government, with Mr Hollande's former partner, Environment Minister Segolene Royal, or his previous prime minister, Jean-Marc Ayrault, tipped as possible replacements for Mr Fabius.

A lot of attention will also be focused on whether former investment banker Emmanuel Macron, who has been the face of reforms for France's European partners but has irritated many of his government colleagues, will get a bigger portfolio.