Sawt Falasteen - Macron expected to name new French PM after deadlock

Centrist French politician Francois Bayrou, leader of the centrist MoDem party and seen as one of Macron's possible picks for prime minister, was to meet the president at 8:30 am (0730 GMT), sources close to the talks, asking not to be named, told AFP.

But it was not immediately clear whether Macron planned to receive Bayrou to announce his appointment or to inform him he had chosen another candidate.

Whoever is named will be the sixth prime minister of Macron's presidency after the toppling of Barnier, who lasted only three months. The new premier faces an immediate challenge in thrashing out a budget that can pass in parliament.

Macron has been confronted with the complex political equation that emerged from snap parliamentary elections this summer -- how to secure a government against a no-confidence vote in a bitterly divided lower house where no party or alliance has a majority.

Barnier was ousted in a historic no-confidence vote on December 4 and there had been expectations Macron would announce his successor in an address to the nation even a day later.

But in a sign of the stalemate after inconclusive legislative elections this summer, he did not name his successor then and has missed a 48-hour deadline he gave at a meeting of party leaders on Tuesday.

On Thursday, Macron left France on a day-long trip to Poland but cut his visit short in an apparent bid to finalise the appointment.

"The statement naming the prime minister will be published tomorrow (Friday) morning," an aide to the president, asking not to be named, said late Thursday just after Macron touched down from the trip to Poland.

"He is finishing his consultations," the aide added, without giving further details.

The announcement is likely to come in a written statement, with the new cabinet to be revealed at a later date.

- 'Stuck' -

Each prime minister under Macron has served successively less time in office and there is no guarantee the new premier will not follow this pattern.

All the candidates widely floated so far have encountered objections from at least one side of the political spectrum.

"They are stuck," said a person close to Macron, asking not to be named, adding that "each name gets blocked".

"No one is in agreement around the president," added the source, expressing hope that Macron would surprise everyone with an unexpected choice.

Macron's apparent top pick, veteran centrist Bayrou, raises hackles on the left -- wary of continuing the president's policies -- and on the right, where he is disliked by influential former president Nicolas Sarkozy.

Beyond Bayrou, prime ministerial contenders include former Socialist prime minister Bernard Cazeneuve, current Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu, a Macron loyalist, and former foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian.

Another name being discussed in the media is Roland Lescure, a former industry minister, but the nomination of the former Socialist risks inflaming the right.

- 'Fresh wind' -

These "are names that have been around for years and haven't seduced the French. It's the past. I want us to look to the future," Greens leader Marine Tondelier said Thursday.

"The French public want a bit of enthusiasm, momentum, fresh wind, something new," she told France 2 television.

Opinion polls indicate the public is fed up with the crisis, with just over two-thirds of respondents to an Elabe poll published on Wednesday saying they want politicians to reach a deal not to overthrow a new government.

In a separate IFOP poll, far-right National Rally (RN) figurehead Marine Le Pen was credited with 35 percent support in the first round of a future presidential election -- well ahead of any likely opponent.

In a critical moment, Le Pen on March 31, 2025 faces the verdict in an embezzlement trial on charges she denies. If convicted, she could lose the chance of standing in the 2027 elections and with it her best chance yet of winning the Elysee Palace.

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Z.Ramadan--SF-PST