French president Jacques Chirac waves to Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin (not pictured) as he leaves the Elysee Palace after a meeting to resign his government, May 15, 2007 in Paris, on the eve of the formal handover of power between Chirac and his successor Nicolas Sarkozy. Sarkozy, a 52 year-old former interior minister was elected president on May 6, easily beating the Socialist Segolene Royal on a promise of radical economic and social change. (Xinhua/AFP) |