President has struggled to find candidate who satisfies enough lawmakers in bitterly divided parliament

President Emmanuel Macron is expected to name a new prime minister on Friday after days of deadlock over finding a candidate to replace Michel Barnier, whose ousting by parliament pushed France into a fresh crisis.

Barnier was toppled in a historic no-confidence vote on 4 December and there had been expectations Macron would announce his successor in an address to the nation even a day later.