France's Macron says he'll keep the centrist caretaker government on through the Olympics

PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday he will maintain the country’s centrist caretaker government through the end of the Olympic Games in mid-August to avoid “disorder.”

His announcement in a TV interview came shortly after the leftist coalition that won the most votes in this month's parliamentary elections selected little-known civil servant Lucie Castets as their choice for prime minister.

Macron said the current caretaker government will “handle current affairs during the Olympics," which run through Aug. 11. “Until mid-August, we’re not in a position to be able to change things because it would prompt disorder,” he said.

There is no firm timeline for when Macron must name a new prime minister. The parliamentary elections left the National Assembly with no dominant political bloc in power for the first time in France’s modern Republic.

Macron, who has a presidential mandate until 2027, has the ultimate say in who is to be appointed as prime minister. However, the prime minister would need the support of a majority of lawmakers to avoid a no-confidence vote.

Castets, a senior civil servant, graduated from Sciences Po, the London School of Economics, and the École Nationale d’Administration. She has worked at the General Directorate of the Treasury and Tracfin, the anti-money laundering unit of Bercy.

The New Popular Front described her as “a leader of associative struggles for the defense and promotion of public services, actively engaged in the fight of ideas against retirement at 64 (years old).” They also highlighted her efforts in combating tax fraud and financial crime.

Marine Tondelier, the national secretary of the Green Party, urged President Macron on X to “recognize the result of the elections and appoint her” to Matignon, shorthand for the residence of the prime minister.

Sébastien Chenu, a member of the far-right National Rally, criticized the selection of Castets, calling it “a joke in bad taste.”

France has been on the brink of government paralysis since elections for the National Assembly earlier this month resulted in a split among three major political groupings: the New Popular Front, Macron’s centrist allies and the far-right National Rally of Marine Le Pen.