France edged closer to having a new government, more than two months after a hung election, as new Prime Minister Michel Barnier's office said he had pulled together a list of ministers he will submit to President Emmanuel Macron later on Thursday.

French President Emmanuel Macron is set to meet with Prime Minister Michel Barnier around 7:15 p.m. in Paris on Thursday to discuss the appointment of a new cabinet, according to Le Monde newspaper.

The French president named Michel Barnier, the European Union’s former Brexit negotiator, nearly two months after elections that kept the far right from power but resulted in political deadlock.

French Prime Minister Michel Barnier has a higher approval rating than President Emmanuel Macron as he works to form a new government, according to a poll by Ipsos.

Following a meeting with the leaders of French conservative and centrist parties and parliamentary groups, French Prime Minister Michel Barnier on Thursday presented his new cabinet choices to President Emmanuel Macron.

After making his name negotiating Brexit, one of the messiest muddles Brussels has faced in recent years, French Prime Minister Michel Barnier now faces an equally daunting task: running a country riven by deep political faultlines.

French Prime Minister Michel Barnier met with President Emmanuel Macron in Paris late on Thursday to propose a new government after two weeks of tense consultations with rival political groups.