French president Francois Hollande's former partner, Segolene Royal, has joined the government in a major reshuffle by the ruling Socialists.
Segolene Royal at a handover ceremony with outgoing ecology minister Philippe Martin. Photo: AFP
She will serve as minister for ecology, sustainable development and energy in the cabinet of new prime minister Manuel Valls, who was appointed to the job after the Socialists suffered a humiliating defeat at local elections, the BBC reports.
It is said that Mr Hollande's most recent official partner, Valerie Trierweiler, had opposed Ms Royal's appointment to any position in the government.
However, Mr Hollande and Ms Trierweiler officially split up in January amid reports that he had been having an affair with an actress, and with her gone the path was clear for Ms Royal's return.
The BBC's correspondent in Paris says it's a stunning comeback for Ms Royal, perhaps a sign of a political rapprochement with her former partner, of whom she asked three years ago: "Can the French people name a single thing Francois Hollande has achieved in 30 years in politics?"
Ms Royal, who had four children with Mr Hollande, has been out of the political spotlight since she lost the 2007 presidential election to Nicolas Sarkozy.
On Sunday, Mr Sarkozy's centre-right party, the UMP, enjoyed a sweep of French towns, winning previous bastions of the left such as Limoges, Toulouse, Reims and Saint Etienne.
The right-wing Front National had its best-ever results, winning control of 11 towns including Beziers and Frejus.
