Back from a three day yachting vacation, French president-elect Nicolas Sarkozy Thursday announced his intention to quickly form a government and get to grips with foreign policy when he takes up office on May 16.

His election campaign manager Claud Gueant said that it was almost certain that Sarkozy would travel to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel within days of taking up office. May 21 was being proposed for the visit, but had not yet been confirmed.

Sarkozy has said that he will include all wings of the UMP as well as centre politicians from the Union for a Democratic France (UDF) and also those on the left to create a broadbased “open government”. Sarkozy told delegates of his Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) party that he was ready to negotiate quickly.

"The question he will have to ask himself first is: What are the reforms he should implement to show politically that he sticks to what he announced?" said Dominique Reynié, a political analyst at the Institute for Political Sciences' Political Research Center. "And the second question is: What are the reforms he can implement without creating riots?"

France is set to join Chile, Finland, Spain and Sweden which have embraced gender parity in government by naming at least seven women in ministerial positions. Sarkozy plans to unveil the ministerial team soon after taking office on Wednesday.

Some of the groundbreaking appointments are expected to include that of Michele Alliot-Marie, 60, the current defence minister, as France's first woman foreign minister.

"He wants to project an image of modernity, of a man moving in step with the times and with society. Gender parity is part of that modernity," said Mariette Sineau, a researcher on women and government at the CEVIPOF institute for political studies.

Sarkozy's campaign spokeswoman, Rachida Dati, a 44-year-old former judge and daughter of North African immigrants, is also mentioned as a cabinet contender.