French President Emmanuel Macron is set to appoint a new prime minister in France later on Friday, as he remains under huge pressure to resolve the country’s political deadlock.

It is not yet clear whether Sébastien Lecornu, who resigned after just four weeks in office, will stay on after all, or whether a new person will fill the role.

Before making his decision, Mr Macron invited the leaders of the parties in parliament to the Élysée Palace for consultations at 2:30 p.m. (1230 GMT), French media reported.

The only parties not present will be Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally and the left-wing party France Unbowed (LFI).

Various names have been suggested in the media for the country’s next premier, including Socialist leader Olivier Faure, former Socialist Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve, and centrist politician Jean-Louis Borloo, as well as François Villeroy de Galhau, the head of France’s central bank.

Mr Macron is under time pressure because if highly indebted France wants to get a budget for the coming year in place in time, according to the constitution, it must be submitted to parliament by Monday at the latest and by the prime minister.

Fresh elections could be another potential path out of the crisis.

Former premier Édouard Philippe, who served under Mr Macron from 2017 to 2020 and plans to run in the next presidential election, on Thursday urged the president to step down, saying it was the only way to overcome the months of deadlock.

Mr Macron should announce he is “organising an early presidential election,” Mr Philippe told RTL radio.

(dpa/NAN)