French President Emmanuel Macron is set to end the suspense over his first government Wednesday after a 24-hour delay in unveiling what he has promised will be a new-look cabinet.
On the campaign trail ahead of his election on May 7, Macron pledged a slimmed-down group of ministers of around 15 people, half of them women and including people from outside politics.
The delay in announcing the names Tuesday was officially due to the need to carry out more extensive screening of candidates, but could also reflect the difficulties in carrying out the delicate balancing act.
Macron, a 39-year-old centrist, is seeking to attract support from the rightwing Republicans party and appointed a prime minister from their ranks, Edouard Philippe, Monday.
There has been widespread speculation about whether other young modernizers from the center-right such as Bruno Le Maire or Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet could follow suit and join the government.
The announcement will be made at 1300 GMT.