French President Macron accepted the formal resignation of Prime Minister Atal

French President Emmanuel Macron has formally accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Gabriel Attal.

According to a press release from the Elysee Palace, the French presidential office, Macron has asked Attal to continue running a caretaker government until the next government is appointed.

The development comes ahead of the Olympics, which begin in France next week.

The left-wing coalition New Popular Front (NFP) emerged as the largest bloc in the recent parliamentary elections in France but due to infighting among its member parties, it has failed to build a consensus and put forward a name for its prime ministerial candidate.

The NFP, which comprises a number of parties ranging from the far-left France Unbowed party to more moderate Socialists and Ecologists, won 182 seats in the National Assembly, making it the largest grouping but falling well short of the 289 seats needed for an absolute majority.

However, the bloc failed to announce a name for the prime minister’s post. According to tradition, the French president appoints the prime minister from the largest group in parliament, but it is still unclear which party from the NFP will be the prime minister.

“To end this period as quickly as possible, it is up to Republican forces to work together to create a rally around projects and actions in the service of French women and men,” Macron said in a press release issued from the Elysee Palace on July 16.

Macron’s Ensemble (ENS) coalition came second in parliamentary elections last week, winning 163 seats.

Marine Le Pen’s right-wing National Rally (RN) and its allies came in third with 143 seats.

Attal had offered to resign immediately after the elections but Macron refused to accept his/her resignation and asked him/her to remain in office as a caretaker until a new cabinet was appointed.

Meanwhile, French lawmakers will meet on Thursday to elect the president of the National Assembly, which requires a two-vote majority in the 577-seat body, reports CNN. If no one is elected by the first two votes, the candidate with the most support in parliament will be chosen by a third vote.

Following his/her resignation, Atal and his/her fellow ministers who are MPs will be allowed to vote in the election for the National Assembly speaker, providing crucial ballot power in the divided body, reports CNN.