Valls quits, Cazeneuve named new PM in France

"I have appointed Mr. Cazeneuve as Prime Minister and charged him with forming a new government," President Hollande said in a statement.

Valls quit after he announced his candidacy for France’s 2017 presidential election on Monday.

His move came after Hollande said last Thursday he would not run for a second term, becoming the first sitting president in modern French history not to do so.

The new prime minister is expected this afternoon at the National Assembly’s weekly government question session.

Cazeneuve steps into Valls' shoes for the second time; he replaced Valls as interior minister over two years ago when Hollande re-shuffled his government cabinet.

Anadolu Agency