The government still faces two challenges in the coming weeks: the risk of a no-confidence vote and a tight budget deadline.

France's new government, finally appointed two-and-a-half months after elections, features a host of new faces all of whom share the same characteristic -- they are unlikely to stand in 2027 presidential elections.

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.