Macron selects prime minister from rival party

French President Emmanuel Macron selected center-right Edouard Philippe as his prime minister — a moderate member of rival The Republicans party — making good on his centrist promise to upend the traditional French political spectrum, per Reuters.

Not politics as usual: Macron's choice is the first time that a modern French president has chosen a prime minister outside of his party without being forced into the decision by a parliamentary defeat.

Why it matters: Macron, who got his political start with the center-left Socialist Party, is looking to bridge the divide between left and right with the hope that his year-old political party, En Marche, can win a clear majority in next month's parliamentary elections.