France political turmoil: Macron refuses to name leftwing PM, NFP threatens street protest, impeachm

President Emmanuel Macron is facing an uphill task over a new government formation in France.

Seven weeks have passed since France's legislative elections resulted in a hung parliament, but Macron has still not named a new prime minister.

In the 577-seat National Assembly, the leftwing NFP has over 190 seats, followed by Macron's centrist alliance at around 160 and Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally at 140.

Macron has been refusing to name a prime minister from the leftwing coalition that won the most seats in the snap election in July this year.

The NFP has demanded that the president pick their candidate Lucie Castets, a 37-year-old economist with a history of left-wing activism.

But Macron declined, saying that it would be a "threat to institutional stability". Instead, he called on "all political leaders to rise to the occasion by demonstrating a spirit of responsibility".

In response, the NFP called for street protests and Macron's impeachment.

Castets slammed Macron of seeking to be "president, prime minister and party leader all at the same time", adding that this was "not respectful of French voters or of democracy".

Macron has not given any indication about the deadline for naming a prime minister, but the clock is running as the government has to present a draft budget law for 2025 by October 1.