French President Emmanuel Macron appointed Antoine Armand as finance minister, thrusting a 33-year-old with limited political experience into an urgent budget battle in which he must bring fiscal discipline while maintaining tacit support from the far right to avoid government collapse.

The new cabinet pulls in allies from the centre and right, despite left-wing parties winning France's election.

Prime Minister Michel Barnier has put together a cabinet he hopes will find cross-party support in the fragmented parliament.

The new cabinet remains largely dominated by ministers from the ranks of President Emmanuel Macron despite his party’s heavy losses in recent parliamentary elections.

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

PARIS (Reuters) -French President Emmanuel Macron's chief of staff announced the formation of a new government on Saturday, hoping to put an end to 2-1/2 months of political uncertainty following an inconclusive snap election that delivered a hung parliament.

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.