For the first time in French history, the cabinet includes almost as many women as men. Seven of the 15 ministers are women, among them Rachida Dati, a young lawyer and the daughter of North African immigrants, who will head the Justice Ministry.
Commentators said that Sarkozy, the son of an Hungarian immigrant, had made an important move in appointing Dati to the Justice Ministry.
“This is not an Arab in charge of Arabs, it’s a woman of North African descent running one of the most important ministries in the government,” said Yves Michaud, a French philosopher.