Emmanuel Macron will meet his predecessors and two senior politicians tipped as candidates to become the next prime minister on Monday as the French president is close to announcing a new government leader,

Emmanuel Macron spoke with leaders of the right-wing Les Républicains about a possible nomination of Xavier Bertrand to form a new government.

Emmanuel Macron will meet Bernard Cazeneuve, a former member of the Socialist party and an experienced politician, on Monday, as the French president is close to announcing the new prime minister, two sources close to Macron said.

French President Emmanuel Macron has intensified his search for a new prime minister, following nearly two months of political deadlock after inconclusive legislative elections. On Monday, he met with two former presidents and two potential candidates for the role.

The leftist coalition NFP won the largest number of seats in the French elections but fell short of the majority mark. Some leftist parties have now called for President Emmanuel Macron to be impeached over his refusal to appoint a PM from their bloc.

How else to account for the most popular candidate for the post of prime minister being the one who just resigned from it. It might be his youthful looks and energy. Or the fact that he showed some spine by telling President Macron to take a hike.

French President Emmanuel Macron was to host former presidents Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois Hollande Monday as he weighed options for prime minister after inconclusive parliamentary polls, with one centre-left figure the apparent front-runner.