French President Francois Hollande on Monday asked Prime Minister Manuel Valls to form a new government in the wake of a showdown between Valls and Economy Minister Arnaud Montebourg about the government's economic policies, dpa reported. In a statement, the presidency announced that the prime minister had presented his resignation and that of his ministers Monday morning after Montebourg publicly disavowed the government's deficit-reduction strategy. Hollande immediately reappointed Valls as prime minister and asked him to form a team "that is coherent with the positions that he [Hollande] defined for our country," the presidency said. Montebourg hinted Monday that he would not be part of the line-up to be unveiled Tuesday.
