French President Emmanuel Macron aims to name a new prime minister for France "within 48 hours," party chiefs who met him Tuesday told Agence France-Presse. The president invited leaders from across the political spectrum, leaving out the far-right Rassemblement National (RN) and hard-left La France Insoumise (LFI) who led the ousting of Prime Minister Michel Barnier last week.
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 Les Républicains (LR) and Macron's centrist camp. But the alliance was far short of an Assemblée Nationale 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 leader Olivier Faure had said as he arrived. "Further discussions should instead take place at the Assemblée Nationale," Greens boss Marine Tondelier added.
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.
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 Mélenchon told reporters in Redon, northwestern France. LFI struck seat-by-seat deals with the Greens, Communists and Socialists for July's election to make sure left-wing candidates made it into second-round run-off votes.
In an apparent acknowledgment that progress will be slow, Macron's office said a special budget law to allow the French state to keep functioning would be presented Wednesday. With a budget deficit forecast to top 6% of GDP this year, France is the worst performer at reining in spending aside from Romania among the 27 EU nations – who are nominally committed to keeping their deficits below 3%.
Lawmakers will debate the bill on December 16, the Parliamentary Relations Ministry said, with most parties saying they will back it to maintain stability.