French President Jacques Chirac today kept Prime Minister Mr Jean-Pierre Raffarin in his job but ordered a government reshuffle after his ruling conservatives were routed in regional elections.
The decision to retain the unpopular Mr Raffarin prompted the left-wing opposition to accuse Mr Chirac of ignoring the French people, and raised new doubts about the speed and scope of cost-cutting reforms.
"Jacques Chirac has just given the French people the two fingers [insult]," Mr Jean-Marc Ayrault, head of the Socialists in parliament, said in a statement.
The presidency said the make-up of the new cabinet would be announced tomorrow. Mr Chirac delayed a visit to Moscow by a day to allow him to attend its first meeting on Friday.
The landslide victory for the Socialist Party and its allies in this month's election to France's 26 regional councils was widely seen as a vote of no-confidence in Mr Raffarin and his reforms, which have prompted widespread protests. The left had demanded his removal and new policies.
Now Mr Raffarin, who took office in mid-2002, is expected to push ahead with unpopular reforms such as cost-cutting in the public healthcare system to try to reduce France's public deficit to within limits set by the European Union.