Macron aims to pick new French PM 'within 48 hours'

Paris: French President Emmanuel Macron aims to name a new Prime Minister for France within 48 hours , party chiefs who met him on Tuesday told AFP,...

Paris: French President Emmanuel Macron aims to name a new Prime Minister for France "within 48 hours", party chiefs who met him on Tuesday told AFP, as he seeks 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.

One of the president's advisers said that at Tuesday's meeting Macron had noted "a unanimity among political forces to not depend on the RN".