French President Emmanuel Macron held rare talks with far-right leaders Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella on Monday as the ongoing political deadlock from July’s snap elections intensifies pressure for him to appoint a new prime minister. Saying they would block any candidate from the leftist New Popular Front bloc, Bardella said his camp would immediately call a no-confidence vote against any leftist premier. With no party holding a majority in the National Assembly, Macron has delayed naming a new government, while the deadline to present a draft 2025 budget looms just over a month away.
