French European affairs minister resigns to join European election

PARIS, March 26 (Xinhua) -- French European Affairs Minister Nathalie Loiseau on Tuesday announced she quit office to head President Emmanuel Macron's party list for the European elections in May.

"I send my resignation to the Prime Minister and the President of the Republic... It will take effect after the cabinet meeting tomorrow when I will take part for the last time," Loiseau said while she started the European campaign.

"A number of populist forces are going up in Europe and we are going to fight them," she warned.

Loiseau's departure from the government is likely to prompt a cabinet mini-reshuffle. The new face to handle European affairs portfolio will be known later in the week, according to local media.

In their bid to snatch more seats in European Parliament, the ruling party unveiled its list for the uncoming contest. Called "Renaissance," it included 30 candidates with Pascal Canfin, former head of conservation group World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in France,in second position.

Recent polls shown Macron's party ahead of the far-right party "National Rally" in voting intentions for the European Parliament elections with up to 23 percent of the votes. Enditem