"France's Emmanuel Macron was on Friday due to pick a head of government tasked with pulling the country out of a political gridlock, in a move that staves off fresh elections for now. French politics have been deadlocked ever since Macron took the gamble last year of snap polls that he hoped would consolidate power - but ended instead in a hung parliament and more seats for the far right."
"Macron was due to meet with leaders of all political parties apart from the far-right Rassemblement National (RN) and the radical left La France Insoumise party on Friday at the presidential palace, informed sources told AFP. Macron's office said he would pick a name by Friday evening, after his seventh prime minister Sébastien Lecornu threw in the towel on Monday following months of stalemate over an austerity budget."
"Lecornu, a Macron loyalist, agreed to stay on for two extra days to talk to all political parties and told French television late on Wednesday that he was optimistic that a new cabinet could get a spending bill through parliament. His two predecessors were toppled in a standoff over spending bills, and a new cabinet lineup he unveiled on Sunday was criticised for not breaking enough with the past."
Emmanuel Macron prepared to appoint a head of government to break a political deadlock and avert new elections. Snap polls last year produced a hung parliament and gains for the far right, complicating lawmaking. Macron planned meetings with most party leaders but excluded Rassemblement National and La France Insoumise. Sébastien Lecornu resigned after months of stalemate over an austerity budget yet agreed to remain briefly to consult parties. Two predecessors fell over spending bills, and a recently unveiled cabinet was criticised for insufficient change. Names being considered included Lecornu, Jean-Louis Borloo and Bernard Cazeneuve. The centrist president faced his worst domestic crisis since 2017 and had not addressed the public.
Read at The Local France
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