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, 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".

Greens leader Marine Tondelier said as she left the meeting that the presidential camp was not ready for any "compromise or concession", but that the president has stressed the need "to no longer rely on the RN to govern".

'Enormous labour'

There is little hope for a quick resolution to the crisis.

The Greens have ruled out joining a "national interest" government, while the Socialists said they would only serve under a left-wing premier -- which has been ruled out by conservatives.

Bringing together so many parties did mark progress from Macron's first attempt to reach consensus after this summer's snap election, commentator Guillaume Tabard wrote in conservative daily Le Figaro.

"But if even a minimal deal is to be found ranging from the Republicans to the Communists, it will require an enormous labour of negotiation that will take days or weeks," he added.

Macron dissolved parliament in June after the far right trounced his alliance in European elections, a decision for which he has since said he bears responsibility.

He told party leaders on Tuesday that he did not want to do that again before the end of his presidential term in 2027, a person close to him said.

Outside the talks, the RN again hailed its position as a political outsider.

Le Pen said she relished being awarded the "medal of the opposition" while mainstream parties held "a banquet to share out jobs" in government.

And LFI warned its left-wing allies that they would face consequences if they broke away.

"Who thinks they can win a single seat without us?" party leader Jean-Luc 
Melenchon told AFP and other media in Redon, northwestern France.

LFI struck seat-by-seat deals with the Greens, Communists and Socialists for this summer's election to make sure left-wing candidates made it into second-round run-off votes.

Taxes and borrowing

In an apparent acknowledgement that progress will be slow, Macron's office said a special budget law to keep the French state functioning would be presented on Wednesday.

With a budget deficit forecast to top six percent of GDP this year, France is the worst performer at reining in spending aside from Romania among the 27 European Union nations -- who are nominally committed to keeping their deficits below three percent.

Lawmakers will debate the bill on December 16, the Parliamentary Relations Ministry said, with most parties saying they will back it to maintain stability.

Its three measures include authorising the government to continue collecting existing taxes until a new budget is passed by parliament, a ministerial source told AFP.

The state and the social security system will also be allowed to continue borrowing on financial markets to avoid any interruption of payments, the source added.