President Emmanuel Macron is expected to name a new prime minister this Friday after days of finding a candidate to replace Michel Barnier.
Barnier was toppled in a historic no-confidence vote on December 4and there have been expectations Macron will announce his successor.
Macron did not name his successor then and has now missed a 48-hour deadline he gave at a meeting of party leaders on Tuesday.
He left France on a daylong trip to key EU and Nato ally Poland but shortened the visit in an apparent bid to finalise the appointment on thursday.