France's left-wing NFP arrive at Elysée for premier negotiations

French President Emmanuel Macron began a series of challenging consultations with political leaders on Friday, aiming to form a viable ruling coalition after last month’s inconclusive election left him without a parliamentary majority.

Six weeks after the snap election in which Macron lost his relative majority, the president has yet to appoint a new prime minister.

The incoming premier’s first critical task will be to present next year’s budget plan to the National Assembly. The left-wing New Popular Front (NFP), which emerged as the largest faction following the election, has proposed 37-year-old economist Lucie Castets as the new prime minister.