FRANCE'S MACRON NAMES REPUBLICAN PHILIPPE AS PM

President Emmanuel Macron has chosen centre-right mayor Edouard Philippe

as France's new prime minister.

Mr Philippe, 46, is not from the president's new centrist party but from the
centre-right Republicans.

The choice is seen as an attempt to draw in key figures from both the right and
left of French politics.

The announcement forms part of a busy first day for the president - he is due
to meet Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin.

The naming of a new prime minister, Mr Macron's first big appointment, came
after hours of fevered speculation in France and a day after he was
inaugurated as president.

Already tipped as favourite for the job, Edouard Philippe, mayor of the
northern port city of Le Havre, has long been close to Alain Juppé, who was
runner-up in the race for the Republican presidential nomination in November
2016.

Who is Edouard Philippe?

For years he has been seen as Alain Juppé's right-hand man and backed his
unsuccessful 2016 bid to secure the centre-right presidential nomination. He
quit the Republican campaign when the chosen candidate, François Fillon, was
engulfed in a "fake jobs" investigation.

Earlier this year he likened Mr Macron to Brutus's despatch of Julius Caesar in

his treatment of President François Hollande.

Before he became mayor of Le Havre, he worked in the private sector and co-
wrote a political thriller with Gilles Boyer, who went on to run the Juppé
campaign.

Who's who in Macron's team?

Does Macron have what it takes to reform France?

What are President Macron's policies?

Why reaction is mixed

Several weeks ago, Mr Macron tweeted that he was keen on selecting a

woman prime minister, and there was some disappointment on social media
that he had so far failed to choose a woman for any cabinet role.

In Mr Philippe's own Republican party, reaction to his appointment was mixed.

Alain Juppé praised the new prime minister as a man of "great talent". Another
leading Republican, Bruno Le Maire, welcomed the appointment as an attempt
to overcome old political divisions.

But party secretary-general Bernard Accoyer said there was no political

agreement between the two parties. "Will this new prime minister support the
president's En Marche candidates... or the candidates of his political family?"
he asked.

President Macron faces crucial parliamentary elections next month and may
need the support of the centre right to push through his planned economic
reforms.

His new party, La République en Marche (Republic on the move), announced

last week a list of 428 candidates for the June vote, half of whom were women.
Only 5% were MPs in the outgoing French parliament - and those MPs were all
from the Socialist left.

What will he discuss with Merkel?

The staunchly pro-EU president's meeting with Chancellor Merkel is eagerly

awaited in Berlin.

"The election of the new French president offers us here the possibility to
bring dynamism into the development of Europe," Mrs Merkel said on
Monday.

However, she was cautious on his plans for reforming the eurozone.

"There are many proposals which have been on the table for years," she told
reporters. "Of course, I will discuss this with him and I will say let's be open, so
we can achieve things together, not get stuck on what can't be done."
A finance ministry spokeswoman was less diplomatic about the chances of
progress on eurozone reform, pointing out it would require treaty change
"which is at the moment not realistic".

New words:

1. Name someone as: to choose somebody for a job or position

Ex: name somebody (as) something | name somebody + noun I had
no hesitation in naming him (as) captain.
2. Mayor: the head of a town
3. Draw in key figures: lôi kéo những nhân vật chủ chốt ( thực ra ko
cần chữ in cũng được)
4. Be due to: arranged
Due to do something Rose is due to start school in January.
5. Chancellor: the head of government in Germany or Austria
6. Fevered speculation: lời đồn râm ran
7. Inaugurate: to introduce a new public official or leader at a special
ceremony
8. Tipped as favourite: được yêu thích
9. Runner-up in the race for: ứng cử viên cho …
10. Back = support
11. Bid : an offer to do something when you are competing with other
people to do it
12. backed his unsuccessful 2016 bid: ủng hộ đề nghị thất bại năm 2016
của Juppe.
13. Be engulfed in : bị nuốt chửng
Was engulfed in a "fake jobs" investigation: bị nuốt chửng bởi cuộc
điều tra bê bối trả lương khống cho người thân
14. Liken someone to: to say that someone is similar to or has the same
qualities as someone else
15. Despatch: the act of killing
16. co-wrote a political thriller with: viết một phim chính kịch gay cấn
17. Go on to: tiếp tục
18. Tweet: to post a message to the Twitter online message service
19. Cabinet role: the role of chosen members of a government, which is
responsible for advising and deciding on government policy
20. reaction to his appointment was mixed: phản ứng đối với sự bổ
nhiệm là khá trái chiều
21. overcome old political divisions : vượt qua sự chia rẽ đảng phái lối
mòn
22. party secretary-general: tổng thư ký đảng phái
23. parliamentary elections: cuộc bầu chọn nghị viện
24. Push through: to get a new law or plan officially accepted
25. Reforms: making improvements in a system, an organization, a law,
etc. by making changes to it
26. Outgoing : leaving the position of responsibility mentioned
27. A finance ministry spokeswoman: người phát ngôn của bộ tài chính
28. Staunchly : in a way that is strong and loyal
29. Dynamism: energy and enthusiasm to make new things happen or to
make things succeed
30. Proposal: a formal suggestion or plan; the act of making a
suggestion