PARIS, Dec. 14 (Xinhuanet) -- Agence France-Presse (AFP) elected Pierre Louette as agency's new chairman and chief executive Tuesday to replace Bertrand Eveno who resigned last month citing personal reasons.

    Louette, 42, was elected by 12 votes of the AFP's board to noneagainst, with the two staff representatives following tradition abstaining from a vote on the new chairman, AFP's board announced.

    Louette had been AFP's executive vice president since 2003 and he was the sole candidate put forward for election to the three-year position.

    A graduate of the prestigious Ecole de Haute Administration, Louette served in the cabinet of former Prime Minister Edouard Balladur in the mid-1990s.

    He then worked for France Televisions, set up an Internet publicity agency specialized in new media and joined luxury products giant LVMH before entering AFP, which was established in 1835. Enditem