French President Emmanuel Macron appointed Michel Barnier, a former European commissioner, as prime minister.
Barnier, 73, who is the oldest prime minister in modern French history, is tasked with forming a "unifying government at the service of the country," the presidency said in a statement.
After the July election, the left-wing coalition emerged as the largest political force in France, but with insufficient seats for an overall majority. Macron's centrist faction and the far right make up the other two major groups in the National Assembly.
Conservative former minister Xavier Bertrand and former Socialist prime minister Bernard Cazeneuve were considered initial favorites for the post of prime minister.
But both figures fell away as the mathematics of the new French parliament went against them.
In France, the president appoints the prime minister, whose candidacy can subsequently be rejected by parliament.
Both Bertrand and Cazeneuve risked facing a no-confidence vote that could draw support from both the left bloc and the far right.
Barnier, a right-wing politician and former EU Brexit negotiator, was expected to return to politics as prime minister after talks with Macron at the Elysee Palace.
He has been largely invisible in French political life after failing to win his Republicans (LR) party's nomination to challenge Macron for the presidency in 2022.
The veteran former foreign minister and European commissioner is "compatible with Macron" and will not be immediately voted out by parliament, an unnamed adviser to the president said.
A minister in the outgoing government, who also asked not to be named, said Barnier was "very popular with right-wing members of parliament without annoying the left". | BGNES
