President Emmanuel of France will appoint a new prime minister within the next 48 hours, his office said on Wednesday, as the French leader tries to pull the country out of a spiraling political crisis.
The announcement — which ruled out the possibility of imminent snap parliamentary elections — came after last-ditch talks that Sébastien Lecornu, the departing prime minister, held with political parties at Mr. Macron’s request.
Mr. Lecornu, a centrist ally of Mr. Macron, came out of the talks with cautious optimism. In an interview on France 2 television, he said that a majority of parties in the lower house of Parliament did not want new elections and wanted to get a budget passed before year’s end.
But the dizzying pace of French politics over the past week and major disagreements between France’s parties — especially over the fate of the country’s 2023 pension overhaul — made it clear that challenges remained ahead.
“I feel that a path is still possible,” Mr. Lecornu said. But “it is difficult,” he added, amid growing concern over France’s ability to reduce its debt and deficit.
Mr. Lecornu resigned on Monday after less than a month in office because of turmoil within his cabinet of centrists and conservatives, and threats of being toppled by opposition lawmakers in the lower house, where no party has a majority.
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