French President Emmanuel Macron will meet his predecessors and prominent politicians who are candidates to become the next prime minister on Monday, sources and media said, as he moves closer to announcing a long-awaited new prime minister.
A source close to Macron, who asked not to be identified, said that the president will receive the two former presidents: Socialist François Hollande and right-wing Nicolas Sarkozy, in addition to Bernard Cazeneuve, a former member of the Socialist Party, in addition to the leader of the Republicans (right) party, Xavier Bertrand.
The announcement of the two meetings is evidence of the acceleration of the consultations, which are entering their final stage after 55 full days of political crisis. The names of the two former ministers, Cazeneuve and Bertrand, one from the left and the other from the right, are being mentioned to take over the presidency of the government in light of the extremely complex political scene.
Macron is under pressure to end weeks of political deadlock after he called early elections that resulted in a hung parliament.
Politicians and observers increasingly point to Cazeneuve as one of the most likely candidates to lead the new government, as he is respected by right-wing parties, although he is also close to the left.
He left the Socialist Party two years ago in protest at its close association with the far-left France Insoumise party.
Submitting the budget
France’s next prime minister will have the daunting task of trying to push reforms and the 2025 budget through a hung parliament, at a time when France is under pressure from the European Commission and bond markets to cut the deficit.
In addition to his short stint as prime minister at the end of Hollande’s term, Cazeneuve served as minister three times: for European affairs, the budget and the interior.
Macron’s call for early parliamentary elections in June backfired, with his centrist coalition losing dozens of seats and no party winning an absolute majority.
Despite the continued political paralysis after the appointment of a new government, Macron cannot call new early elections until July next year under the French constitution.
Forming a new government has become urgent, with the 2025 budget to be submitted to parliament by October 1 at the latest.