When the time came to name his second prime minister since his dissolution of the Assemblée Nationale in June, President Emmanuel Macron stayed his hand once again, on Thursday, December 12. The decision, undoubtedly one of the most important that the French president has had to make since 2017, was, for the umpteenth time, postponed, until the following morning.

When, on December 4, on his return from an official trip to Saudi Arabia, his previous prime minister, Michel Barnier, fell victim to a no-confidence motion and was ousted, sources in the president's entourage promised to move "quickly" and "not dawdle" in finding a replacement. But the following day, in a televised address, Macron already seemed to be stalling, in pledging to appoint a new prime minister "in the next few days." Shortly thereafter, the Elysée announced that the president would begin a round of talks with party leaders on Friday, in another reversal.

Then came the enchanting interlude of the weekend, which was devoted to the reopening of Paris's Notre-Dame cathedral, before Macron resumed his political duties on Monday. On Tuesday, he invited the parties "in favor of compromise" to the Elysée to discuss the "method" for nominating a prime minister. During the meeting, Macron told the party leaders that he wanted to appoint a prime minister "within 48 hours" – in other words, by Thursday, at the latest. It would eventually have to wait until "Friday morning," announced the Elysée on Thursday evening. Unless, of course, this new deadline was once again postponed.

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