A coalition of French left-wing parties tapped Lucie Castets, a little-known civil servant, to be prime minister yesterday, unexpectedly ending weeks of bickering after snap parliamentary elections plunged the country into political gridlock.
President Emmanuel Macron immediately rejected the pick, saying that he would not appoint a new government until mid-August at the earliest. He said his current cabinet would remain in a caretaker capacity for the duration of the Paris Olympics, which start this week.
Background: The French president alone has the power to appoint the prime minister and the cabinet. His choice must, theoretically, reflect the political balance in Parliament, but there is no constitutionally mandated deadline for him to make a choice.
