France PM in in final effort to salvage cabinet

France's outgoing Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu was on Tuesday due to start a last-ditch effort to rally cross-party support for a cabinet lineup to pull his country out of political deadlock.

President Emmanuel Macron tasked Lecornu, 39, with forming a government in early September after parliament toppled his predecessor over an unpopular austerity budget.

Lecornu unveiled a new cabinet on Sunday evening but it immediately drew criticism for containing many of the same faces from the previous government, and Lecornu resigned on Monday morning.

But in a twist, Lecornu had by Monday evening accepted Macron's request that he spend two days trying to salvage his administration.

Macron tasked Lecornu with "conducting final negotiations by Wednesday evening to define a platform of action and stability for the country," a presidential official said, asking not to be named.

The president was ready to "assume his responsibilities" in case of failure, the official said, appearing to allude to him calling new legislative elections.

Lecornu was from 9:00 am (0700 GMT) to meet party leaders at the prime minister's office in an attempt to breach the impasse.

A political crisis has rocked France for over a year, after Macron called snap polls in mid-2024 which ended in a hung parliament.

The chaos comes ahead of 2027 presidential elections expected to be a historic crossroads in French politics, with the French far right under Marine Le Pen sensing its best chance yet of taking power.

Edouard Philippe, a former premier and centre-right contender in the next presidential elections, on Tuesday slammed what he called a "distressing political game".

He urged Macron to call early presidential elections as soon as the 2026 budget was approved.

Within Macron's own ranks, Gabriel Attal -- who was prime minister until last year and now leads the president's centrist party -- on Monday evening said he no longer understood Macron's decisions.

After a succession of new premiers, it was "time to try something else", he said.

Le Pen on Monday said it would be "wise" for Macron to resign but also urged snap legislative polls as "absolutely necessary".

The party leader of Le Pen's far-right National Rally (RN), Jordan Bardella, said it would be "ready to govern".

Lecornu faces a tough task.

Socialist party leader Olivier Faure late Monday called for "a change of course" with a "left-wing government".

Bruno Retailleau, leader of the right-wing Republicans and outgoing interior minister, said he was not against remaining in a cabinet with Macron's centrists as long as it did not mean less members from his party.

Lecornu's two immediate predecessors, Francois Bayrou and Michel Barnier, were ousted by parliament in a standoff over an austerity budget.

Any next premier will still face the challenge of finding enough support for the spending bill in a chamber where the Macron-friendly bloc is in a minority.

The crisis comes as France's public debt has reached a record high.

France's debt-to-GDP ratio is now the European Union's third-highest after Greece and Italy, and is close to twice the 60 percent permitted under EU rules.

Macron has so far resisted calls for fresh parliamentary polls, and ruled out resigning himself before his mandate ends in 2027.

He could also look for a new prime minister, who would be the eighth of the president's mandate, but would face a struggle to survive without radical change.