Macron Meets with Political Leaders in Bid to Break Paralysis and Form New Government

French President Emmanuel Macron is set to initiate talks with leaders of the country's main political parties on Saturday to form a new government, which has been in a state of impasse for six weeks. Macron aims to build a coalition led by centre-left or moderate-right parties that align with his centrist bloc. The talks come after snap elections in early July left French politics in deadlock, with no party able to form a clear majority in the National Assembly. Macron has met with left-wing leaders, including the New Popular Front (NFP), which has proposed Lucie Castets as the new prime minister, but Macron's forces have shown little interest in this idea.