FRANCE’S prime minister reshuffled his Cabinet on Tuesday to silence ministers who had openly criticized Socialist President Francois Hollande’s economic policies as he tries to pull the nation out of stagnation and steer it toward growth.

    Emmanuel Macron, who had earlier served as top adviser in charge of the economy, took over the Economy Ministry, replacing Arnaud Montebourg, a politician who had publicly railed against government policies as being too austere and unjust to the French.

    Finance Minister Michel Sapin stayed in place in the limited reshuffle.

    Other top ministers, including Foreign Affairs Minister Laurent Fabius and Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, also kept their jobs.

    France, the No. 2 economy in the eurozone, has had no growth this year.

    The Cabinet reshuffle came less than five months after the ambitious and popular Prime Minister Manuel Valls took office April 1, steadfastly promoting Hollande’s agenda. Hollande is the most unpopular president in recent French history, with ratings below 20 percent.

    Montebourg, a swashbuckling minister meant to be among those at the forefront of that task, has instead become a critic. His public remarks over the weekend criticizing austerity — and supported by Education Minister Benoit Hamon, who also lost his job — were seen by the government as going too far. Valls demanded a change in the Cabinet, and Hollande agreed. (SD-Agencies)