After landslide election, Chirac names new prime minister

PARIS - Jean-Pierre Raffarin, an affable but little-known conservative senator, was named France's prime minister yesterday, a day after President Jacques Chirac won re-election by an overwhelming margin.

Raffarin, 53, is expected to name a new Cabinet this week, possibly as early as today, and begin working on Chirac's promise to crack down on rising crime and respond to the nation's discontent.

Chirac, 69, trounced ultra-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen in Sunday's presidential race, winning a record 82 percent of the vote.

The stakes are high for Raffarin. Left-leaning parties are eager to stage a comeback after Socialist Prime Minister Lionel Jospin suffered an embarrassing loss to Le Pen in the first round of voting.

Raffarin's appointment was announced by Dominique de Villepin, one of Chirac's top aides, on national television. It came soon after Jospin turned in his resignation as expected. The ministers remain in place until successors are appointed to ensure a smooth transition.

Jospin left the Hotel Matignon, the official residence of prime ministers, after handing the reins to Raffarin. The two men walked together down a red carpet, and Jospin was applauded by supporters and staff as he drove off.

Raffarin's Cabinet is expected to serve at least until next month's elections.

Recruited from the small, center-right Liberal Democracy party, Raffarin is a former marketing executive who favors free trade, putting him at odds with many leftist rivals.