Jean-Marc Ayrault: the German speaker tipped to be France's next prime minister - Telegraph.co.uk

Mayor of the western city of Nantes, the reserved Mr Ayrault was a special adviser to Mr Hollande's election campaign, entrusted with liaising with other European left parties, particularly the opposition Social Democratic Party (SPD) in Germany.

Behind the scenes, the 62-year-old has carried out sensitive missions for Mr Hollande. Last year, he met a senior adviser to Mrs Merkel in Berlin in an effort to build ties with her conservative government.

A weaker-than-expected showing by the far-left in the first round of France's presidential election on April 22 suggested Mr Ayrault could have a simpler task in building support for legislation than many Socialists had feared.

Communist-backed candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon finished fourth in the poll with just 11 per cent, suggesting the Socialists may be less reliant on their far-left neighbours after parliamentary ballots on June 10 and June 17.

Mr Hollande, who like Mr Ayrault comes from the Socialists' moderate social democrat wing, insists he wants to hand back influence to the prime minister after five years in which Nicolas Sarkozy concentrated presidential power.

Mr Hollande is also determined to involve parliament more in eurozone crisis management after Sarkozy handed control over strategy to a handful of unelected advisers.

The son of a factory worker, Mr Ayrault has sat in parliament since 1986 and was initially on the Socialists' left wing before gradually shifting toward social democracy.

He, like Mr Hollande, has never held ministerial office.

But Mr Ayrault – an admirer of the German model where parliament is consulted on euro zone policies – could play a crucial role in coaxing legislative colleagues into backing crisis measures.

Mr Hollande insisted that he wanted a prime minister with whom he has a strong personal relationship.

One of Mr Ayrault's first tasks would be to help soothe relations with Berlin over Mr Hollande's plan to temper the fiscal compact signed by 25 EU leaders by adding a growth focus.

Source: Reuters