François Bayrou, leader of France’s centrist Democratic Movement party, urged political forces to enter negotiations to resolve the country’s escalating government crisis. In remarks reported on 28 August, Bayrou said dialogue should take priority over immediately dissolving the National Assembly. Bayrou’s stance aligns with a warning issued a day earlier by the French prime minister, who argued that snap legislative elections could deepen the instability afflicting the government. Both officials suggested that time is needed to build consensus and avoid further political fragmentation.