PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron aims to name a new Prime Minister for France “within 48 hours”, party chiefs who met him on Tuesday said after a bid to end political deadlock following the ouster of Michel Barnier.

The president invited leaders from across the political spectrum, leaving out the far-right National Rally (RN) and hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) who hold the key to France’s hung parliament.

Macron’s initiative came as caretaker ministers scrambled to clarify France’s 2025 finances, after the last administration fell over its cost-cutting budget.

Barnier had been supported by the conservative Republicans and Macron’s centrist camp. But the alliance was far short of a National Assembly majority and was brought down by the united left, including LFI, and Marine Le Pen’s RN. It was unclear how a broader base of support could be built for any new government.

Most leaders are unwilling to compromise on issues such as last year’s widely-loathed pension reform, or to tarnish their electoral image by cooperating with the unpopular president. “We would prefer the debate not continue under (Macron’s) auspices for a simple reason, because he is not in a position today to be the referee,” Socialist Party chief Olivier Faure had said as he arrived.

Published in Dawn, December 11th, 2024