PARIS - FranceÂ’s President Nicolas Sarkozy accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Francois Fillon and his cabinet on Saturday, paving the way for a long-awaited cabinet reshuffle.The resignation is a traditional formality, allowing the head of state to pick new ministers without having to fire his existing team, and government sources said Fillon was expected to be quickly re-appointed premier.
Then, he will assemble a new ministerial team for SarkozyÂ’s approval, probably as soon as Monday. Most observers expect a smaller cabinet, drawn mainly from SarkozyÂ’s right-wing majority party, the UMP.