Nicolas Sarkozy promises a whirlwind of sometimes painful reform from a new style of hands-on presidency after decades in which heads of state have sought a monarchical distance from government.

“From day one, I am going to start putting my promises into action and make sure they are carried out,” Mr Sarkozy said in the closing days of his campaign, in which his chief pledge was to put France back to work. “I will start work on the first minute of the first hour of the first day of my mandate and not stop until the last,” he said.

Setting the tone for a revolution after 12 years in which President Chirac often seemed to be disconnected from events, Mr Sarkozy has promised that after he takes office on May 17: “I will not be a referee, a monarch sheltering in the Elysée Palace. I will govern and take responsibility.”

His first task, after several days’ reflection, is to appoint a Prime Minister and what he says will be a tight Cabinet of only 15 full ministers.

As well as introducing reforms, the Government will begin its campaign for the general elections to be held in mid-June, in which a new parliament will be elected. Mr Sarkozy’s Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) must win a majority to govern. A Socialist victory – unlikely but possible – would strip him of power to implement his manifesto.

In a revolutionary step for a country with few women in parliament, half the slimmed-down Cabinet will be female. François Fillon, 53, a former Education Minister and Mr Sarkozy’s campaign director, is likely to head the Government.

Mr Sarkozy, who calls himself the “champion of the France that gets up early in the morning”, expects to face strong resistance from trade unions, public-service workers and the Left to his radical measures to encourage people to work longer hours and to cut benefits for the unemployed. He believes that his mandate from the majority of France will give him the authority to face down protesters, as Margaret Thatcher did in Britain after 1979. “I’m sorry if they don’t like change, but they are not the ones being elected,” Mr Sarkozy said of the powerful, Communist-led CGT union.

One of his highly symbolic first steps will be a measure to force transport and other state workers to provide minimum public service during strikes. Unions in all sectors will have to seek approval from workers by secret ballot to continue a strike for more than a week.

In a gesture of peace to the unions, Mr Sarkozy said that he would swiftly call in the “social partners” – the leaders of the unions and employers’ federations – to explain his plans and to prepare for four big conferences in the autumn on how to revamp the way that France worked.

Top of the agenda will be immediate tax cuts, which total €15 billion (£10.5 billion). These include a 4 per cent reduction in income tax and social charges, tax relief on mortgage interest and the abolition of death duties for all but the richest.

Mr Sarkozy wants to encourage people to work more than the statutory 35-hour week, which was imposed by the Socialists in 1999 and which he calls a disaster. He wants to strengthen purchasing power and to prime an economy that has suffered relative stagnation and high unemployment for two decades. As well as the carrot, he intends to apply a British-style stick: the benefits received by jobseekers will be reduced if they refuse two offers of work in fields for which they are qualified.

Among money-saving measures, Mr Sarkozy says that one in every two civil servants who retire from France’s bloated state administration will not be replaced. One of the potentially most explosive measures is to scrap the so-called special regimes. These are generous pensions and retirement conditions that are enjoyed by public-sector workers in the railways, Paris transport system, energy utilities and post office.

However, he will not follow the laissez-faire doctrines that were pursued in Britain and the US in the 1980s. The state will keep a firm hand on industrial policy, intervening to support French firms in key economic sectors and maintaining a large public sector. Mr Sarkozy is also heading for conflict with Europe over his schemes for imposing tariffs on imports from outside the Union.

Tough agenda

Taxes Remove taxes from income earned for working more than the 35-hour week; abolish inheritance tax for all but 10 per cent of richest; cut income tax

Europe Negotiate to replace abandoned EU constitution; refuse entry of Turkey permanently

Labour law Secret ballots by workers to continue strikes after a week; impose duty to provide minimum service during public service strikes

Pensions Reform privileged pension system enjoyed by state workers

Immigration Tighter restriction on arrival of family members of immigrants; obligation to speak and read French

Justice Minimum sentences for repeat offenders; cut child allowances to delinquents’ families; repeat offenders aged 16 to 18 to be tried as adults

Housing Sell 40,000 council homes to tenants

Education universities to be semi-independent; maximum of 15 in classes in schools in poor areas

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