France: Jospin resigns as Prime Minister
French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin has officially announced his resignation, paving the way for President Jacques Chirac to name a successor.
Mr Chirac, a conservative, won another term in office yesterday after he beat far-right National Front leader Jean-Marie Le Pen in the presidential election run-off.
Mr Jospin, a socialist, announced his intention to retire after Mr Le Pen beat him in the first round of the elections.
His likely replacements include Nicolas Sarkozy, mayor of the Paris suburb of Neuilly, or Jean-Pierre Raffarin, a senator from the Liberal Democracy Party.
