Macron to meet party leaders across spectrum to form new government

French President Emmanuel Macron will meet a political leaders from the left and right on Friday morning with the aim of forming a new “government of general interest” after the country’s Prime Minister Michel Barnier was ousted by a no-confidence vote. 

The French leader is due to meet with representatives from centrist political parties such as Renaissance, Horizons and the Democratic Movement early Friday morning. 

Later in the day, he is expected to meet members of the Socialist party, including First Secretary Olivier Faure, followed by figures from Les Républicains. 

Representatives from the far-right National Rally, currently parliament's largest party, and far-right La France Insoumise were notably not invited.

As the country anxiously waits to hear the identity of its new Prime Minister, Macron said he would name Barnier’s replacement “in the next few days.”  

“I will ask them to form a government for the general interest,” Macron said of his meetings on Friday.

A new government should represent "every political force within the spectrum of parties destined to govern and that they could join or, at least, agree not to bring it down”.  

The announcement is not expected before this weekend, or even by Monday, and it's expected to take more time until the full makeup of the new government is revealed.

Macron refused to accept blame for the collapse of his government in an address on Thursday, instead choosing to blame his opponents.

In a television interview, far-right leader Marine Le Pen expressed doubt that a new government would survive.

"The risk is that if the President of the Republic carries out a new dissolution (of the parliament) from July - or in September or October of next year, we will find ourselves more