Still, the prospect of Macron nominating a center-left prime minister to replace Bayrou has gained traction in recent days.
On Tuesday, the French president instructed heads of the coalition backing his government to “work with the Socialists,” although conservative leader Bruno Retailleau reportedly told Macron his party would not remain in a coalition with the Socialists.
Yet on Thursday, the conservative leader in the National Assembly, Laurent Wauquiez, indicated his party would not immediately bring down a Socialist government.
“We do not belong to those who topple governments in this country for the sake of it … because I think that instability is catastrophic for the country,” Wauquiez said on BFMTV.
Later Thursday, Retailleau, who is also the interior minister, said his party would not hand a “blank check” to a possible future left-leaning government.
“If a Socialist government implemented policies that were against France’s interests, the duty of the right would be to stop it,” he wrote on X.