Former
French minister Richard Ferrand, who has been fighting accusations of improper
financial dealings during most of his few weeks in office, was elected on
Saturday to lead President Emmanuel Macron's lawmakers in parliament
"I
thank the deputies for their confidence... We have a strong obligation to succeed.
The French people no longer want intentions, they want results," Ferrand
said in a statement.
Some 306
deputies voted for Ferrand and two abstained.
Macron's
year-old Republic on the Move party (LREM) won a huge parliamentary majority on
June 18 that boasts scores of lawmakers never before elected - unprecedented in
France and central to his promise to clean up the country's politics.
Ferrand, 54,
a former Socialist who became one of Macron's key early backers, will bring his
experience and authority to the newcomers who were gathering for a two-day
training seminar at the National Assembly.
"Richard
Ferrand is the only one who can do the job," a LREM deputy told Reuters.
Ferrand, who
headed the campaign that swept Emmanuel Macron to power in a vote last May 7,
left the government in a Cabinet reshuffle this week. He was named minister for
territorial planning in May.
He has
denied any wrongdoing after a public prosecutor opened an investigation.
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