France’s Macron faces decision day, as his deadline to name a premier nears

PARIS: President Emmanuel Macron will convene a meeting of France’s mainstream political parties on Friday ahead of a self-imposed deadline to name a new prime minister, as the country’s central bank chief warned political turmoil was sapping economic growth.

Macron, 47, is searching for his sixth prime minister in under two years and will need to find a figure whose appeal spans the center-right to center-left in order to steer the budget for 2026 through a fragmented and fractious parliament.

Ahead of the meeting, the president’s Elysee office said the gathering needed to be a “moment of collective responsibility,” which political pundits quickly interpreted as a signal that Macron could call snap elections if no consensus candidate was found.

MACRON SETS FRIDAY EVENING DEADLINE TO NAME PM

Macron has set himself a deadline of Friday evening to name a new premier.