FRENCH President Nicolas Sarkozy appointed a new government Sunday in a marathon weekend reshuffle with faithful allies taking top posts clearly aimed at pleasing his conservative ranks before 2012 presidential elections.

    The once-disgraced former prime minister, Alain Juppe, who is mayor of Bordeaux, was put in charge of the Defense Ministry and given the No. 2 spot behind Prime Minister Francois Fillon, who retained his job after submitting his government’s resignation Saturday night.

    The appointment positions Juppe, a long time standard-bearer of the conservatives, for a political renaissance.

    The biggest victim was the outreach effort Sarkozy prided himself in when he took office in May 2007, bringing together leftists, centrists and figures representing diversity in an unusual governing coalition.

    The Foreign Ministry went to Michele Alliot-Marie, previously justice minister. She replaced Bernard Kouchner, a leftist. He was long known to be on his way out.

    Alliot-Marie was replaced in the Justice Ministry by Michel Mercier, one of two centrists remaining in a government that was streamlined from 37 to 30 ministers and bolstered by rightists.

    Christine Lagarde kept the critical post of economy minister, an appointment sure to relieve markets and please other G20 members just as France takes over the reins of the club.

    Outgoing Defense Minister Herve Morin dismissed the new government as a “campaign team” tailored to the aspirations of Sarkozy.

    (SD-Agencies)