President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday was under pressure even from allies to find a rapid solution to France's political deadlock, after his first prime minister and one-time ally urged him to resign for the sake of the country.
Macron, president since 2017, has been battling the worst domestic political crisis of his presidency after the shock resignation on Monday of his seventh prime minister, Sebastien Lecornu.
Macron gave Lecornu until Wednesday evening to thrash out a compromise for a sustainable coalition government but it is far from certain these efforts can succeed.
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