Paris ( CNN ) -- New French President Francois Hollande has chosen mostly moderates for his Cabinet , indicating an effort to build a broad coalition in the country . The Socialist leader selected moderates to serve as ministers of labor , economy , foreign affairs , defense and other posts . The Cabinet , announced Wednesday , also includes several leftists and at least one minister who comes from the Socialist Party 's right wing . Half of the 34 ministers and junior ministers are women . And the group spans generations : The youngest is 34 ; the eldest is 66 . Many are experts in their fields . `` It 's a renewed government , '' said newly named Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault . `` It 's the change the French wanted . '' The Cabinet includes moderate left political figures Michel Sapin as labor minister and Laurent Fabius as foreign minister . Pierre Moscovici will be minister of economy and finance , and his fellow moderate , Socialist Jean-Yves Le Drian , will be defense minister . Officials with strong left-leaning tendencies were chosen as ministers of education , industry and environment . Manuel Valls , from the right wing of the Socialist Party , will be minister of interior . Hollande , the country 's first Socialist president since Francois Mitterrand left office in 1995 , won an election this month against incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy . Very few of Hollande 's Cabinet selections served under Mitterrand . CNN 's Saskya Vandoorne contributed to this report .
NEW : `` It 's the change the French wanted , '' Prime Minister Ayrault says . Most of the ministers are considered moderates . 17 of the 34 ministers and junior ministers are women . Very few served under Francois Mitterrand .