Weeks after legislative elections which produced a lower-house Assemblée nationale with no clear majority, France still does not have a new prime minister.
Macron said in July he would seek to name a new prime minister after the Paris Olympics, which ended on August 11th, stressing that parties in a fractured parliament must come together to build a broad coalition first.
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While the successful Olympic Games have lifted what was a morose mood in France, analysts say that it is far from certain this could boost Macron’s embattled fortunes.
On Friday, the Elysée presidential office said Macron invited party leaders to take part in “a series of discussions” on August 23rd, with a view to attempting to form a government.
“The appointment of a prime minister will follow on from these consultations and their conclusions,” the presidency said in a statement.
Noting that the French people had expressed “a desire for change and broad unity”, the Elysée hopes that the consultations will help move towards “the broadest and most stable majority possible.”
In late July, Macron dismissed a left-wing alliance’s push to name a new prime minister.
The left-wing Nouveau Front Populaire, which emerged as the largest faction post-election, has said it wants the economist Lucie Castets, 37, to be the new premier.
The government of Macron allies, under Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, has carried on in a caretaker capacity throughout the Games.
In June, Macron shocked the nation by dissolving parliament and calling snap elections. Seats in the 577-strong assembly are now divided between three similarly-sized blocs.
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