French president appoints new PM

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve speaks in the Elysee Palace courtyard in this picutre taken August 11, 2016 in Paris, France. [Photo/Agencies]

PARIS - French President Francois Hollande on Tuesday appointed incumbent Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve the new prime minister to replace Manuel Valls, as the latter has decided to quit the job, according to the Elysee.

Hollande has picked Cazeneuve to succeed Valls as the prime minister until May and charged him to form a new government, the Elysee said in a statement.

Hollande has also accepted the resignation of Valls who launched a bid to seek for the Left nomination to book a ticket for presidential race, it added.

Valls announced his candidacy for the left primary in preparation for the 2017 presidential election on Monday in Evry, a commune in the suburb of Paris, proposing a new path for "an independent France uncompromising on its values." He presented his resignation to Holland earlier Tuesday.