A left-wing alliance that won the 7 July election has so far been unable to agree on a candidate to replace him. Attal made no comment to journalists as he left his government's final cabinet meeting at the Elysee Palace.

President Macron is understood to have mentioned that the caretaker government could remain in place for "some weeks."

Attal told President Macron that he would stay on out of a sense of duty "until the very last minute" and "as long as you deem necessary, on the eve of major events for our country," according to remarks quoted by the French news agency AFP.

The French prime minister had already submitted his resignation the day after his Ensemble alliance finished second in the snap parliamentary vote called by President Macron.

The National Rally (RN) won the European elections in early June but came third in the 7 July parliamentary vote.

Since no party won an outright majority, Macron asked Attal to remain in his position for the time being.

He then called on mainstream parties to form a coalition with a "solid" majority, explicitly avoiding both the National Rally (RN) and the radical France Unbowed, which is the largest party in the left-wing New Popular Front.