New French PM nearing deal on cabinet, BFM TV says

FILE PHOTO: France newly appointed Prime minister Michel Barnier looks on during the handover ceremony at the Hotel Matignon in Paris, France, September 5, 2024. Stephane De Sakutin/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

PARIS (Reuters) - French Prime Minister Michel Barnier, who met with several party leaders on Thursday, could be nearing a deal on a cabinet, French media said, two weeks after President Emmanuel Macron named him to the post.

Barnier, the European Union's former Brexit negotiator, has struggled to name a new government, underlining the complicated topography of France's political landscape after Macron's ill-fated decision to call a snap legislative election this summer.