France's President Emmanuel Macron unveiled a new government on Sunday, after marathon talks to cobble together a cabinet and prevent the country from slipping deeper into a political crisis.

The lineup, a mix of old and new faces, is Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu's second attempt at bringing together a team to overcome months of deadlock and pass a much-needed budget through a hung parliament.

Last Sunday he presented his first cabinet, but resigned a day later after the lineup was criticised for not having enough new faces. Macron reappointed him on Friday to try again.

"A mission-driven government has been appointed to provide France with a budget before the end of the year," Lecornu wrote on X on Sunday.

It remains to be seen if Lecornu's new cabinet will satisfy opponents. The hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) has said it will file a motion of no confidence on Monday, as did the far-right National Rally, meaning the new government will face a nail-biting vote before the end of the week.

Meanwhile the Socialists – whose support the government would almost certainly need to survive such a vote – are keeping their options open.

"No comment," Socialist party leader Olivier Faure wrote on X after the government's announcement.

RTHK's Europe correspondent, Gavin Grey, believes Lecornu will have to make substantial concessions in the days ahead.

"It looks like the centrist prime minister is now looking perhaps to the left, to left-wing parties for support, believing there could be enough common ground here to get something done," he told Hong Kong Today.

"It's reaching the ears of some informed analysts in France, and they're telling me that this could well mean that the retirement age increase, which the French government and rather Emmanuel Macron wants to increase from 62 to 64...I don't give it much chance at the moment."

According to the lineup published by the presidency, Jean-Noel Barrot remained as foreign minister.

Outgoing labour minister Catherine Vautrin took on the defence portfolio.

Roland Lescure, a Macron loyalist, is in charge of the economy, with next year's budget as a top priority.

There were also new faces.

Paris police chief Laurent Nunez took over the interior ministry, replacing Bruno Retailleau, whose right-wing Republicans party said it would not be part of any government this weekend.

Monique Barbut, the former France director of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), was to head the ministry of environmental transition.

Gerald Darmanin however stayed on as justice minister.

And Rachida Dati, a scandal-ridden culture minister who is set to stand trial for corruption next year, also retained her post.

Grey said other European nations are keeping a close eye on the development in France, the continent's second-largest economy.

"I don't think anybody in the EU, including Germany, wants it to be... one country running the whole of the EU. So there are big things in play here.

"Other European countries will look at the mess in France, will look at these issues that the government is facing and think, well, I was hoping to cut the budget a bit too, but I'm not sure that I'm going to try it now." (Agencies/RTHK)