- French President Emmanuel Macron has rejected the resignation of Prime Minister Gabriel Attal.
- The French legislative election saw the legislature divided between left-wing, centrist and right-wing parties, with no bloc able to come close to a majority.
- Prime Minister Attal offered his resignation, but Macron immediately asked him to remain in office to ensure stability.
French President Emmanuel Macron The country’s prime minister on Monday refused to resign and asked him to temporarily remain as head of government as the government remains in limbo due to chaotic election results.
French voters split the legislature into left, center and right, with no bloc coming close to the majority needed to form a government. The results of Sunday’s vote have raised the risk of paralysis for the EU’s second-largest economy.
Macron had gambled that his decision to call early elections would give France a “moment of clarification”, but the result showed the opposite, less than three weeks before the start of the Paris Olympics, when the country will be in the international spotlight.
French prime minister to resign as leftists capture majority of parliamentary seats in snap election
The French stock market fell at the open but quickly recovered, possibly because the market feared a clear victory for either a right-wing or left-wing coalition.
French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal delivers a speech after the first results of the second round of France’s legislative election in Matignon, Paris, July 7, 2024. French President Emmanuel Macron refused to accept the resignation of the country’s prime minister, asking him on Monday to temporarily stay on as head of government as chaotic election results left the government in limbo. (LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP via Getty Images)
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal had said he would stay in his post if needed, but on Monday morning he offered his resignation. Macron, who appointed him just seven months ago, immediately asked him to stay on “to ensure the stability of the country.” Macron’s top political aides attended a meeting with Attal at the presidential palace that ended after about 90 minutes.
On Sunday, Attal made clear he disagreed with Macron’s decision to call a snap election. The results of two rounds of voting left no clear path to form a government for the left-wing coalition that comes first, Macron’s centrist alliance or the far-right coalition.
Newly elected and elected lawmakers were expected to gather at the National Assembly to begin talks. Macron himself will head to a meeting in the middle of the week. NATO Summit In Washington.
Rivals step in to halt election momentum of France’s right-wing National Party
The political impasse could have far-reaching implications for the war in Ukraine, global diplomacy and Europe’s economic stability. Still, at least one leader said the outcome was a relief.
“Exuberance in Paris, dismay in Moscow, relief in Kiev. There’s enough to be happy about in Warsaw,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, a former head of the EU Council, wrote on X late Sunday.
People gather on Republic Plaza after the second round of legislative elections on July 7, 2024 in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurélien Morisard)
According to official results released on Monday, the three main blocs fell far short of the 289 seats needed to control the 577-seat National Assembly, the more powerful of France’s two legislative houses.
The results saw the New Popular Front left-wing coalition win more than 180 seats, finishing first ahead of Macron’s centrist coalition with more than 160. Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally and its allies narrowly missed out on a third place, though their 140-plus seats were still well ahead of the party’s previous best showing of 89 seats in 2022.
Macron still has three years left in his presidential term.
Rather than unite behind Macron as many had hoped, millions took the vote as an opportunity to vent anger about inflation, crime, immigration and other grievances – including his style of government.
Leaders of the New Popular Front immediately pressured Macron to give them the first chance to form a government and propose a prime minister. The faction promises to roll back many of Macron’s key reforms, launch an expensive program of public spending and take a tougher stance against Israel because of its war with Hamas. But it is unclear, even among the left, who could lead a government without alienating crucial allies.
“We need someone who provides consensus,” said Olivier Faure, head of the Socialist Party, which has joined a left-wing coalition and was still trying on Monday to decide how many seats it will get.
Macron has warned that the leftist economic programme, which would see billions of euros in public spending funded in part by taxes on wealth and pay rises for high earners, could be disastrous for France, which has already been criticised by EU watchdogs for its debt.
Instability in parliament is uncharted territory for modern France, and many reacted with both relief and apprehension.
“I was very nervous because of what the voters and the press were telling us, so this is a huge relief. There are also huge expectations,” said Nadine Dupuis, a 60-year-old legal secretary in Paris. “What is going to happen? How are they going to govern this country?”
Burning bicycles during tensions near Republique Plaza after the second round of legislative elections on July 7, 2024 in Paris. (AP Photo/Aurélien Morisard)
The political compromise between the left and the center to stop the National Rally was largely successful. Many voters decided that keeping the right-wing away from power was more important than anything else, so they supported their opponents in the runoff, even if they were not from the political camp they usually support.
“Disappointed, disappointed,” said Luc Dumont, a 66-year-old right-wing supporter. “Well, happy to see our progress, because for the last few years we have been doing better.”
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National Rally leader Le Pen, who is expected to run for a fourth time for the French presidency in 2027, said the elections had laid the groundwork for “tomorrow’s victory.”
Russian disinformation campaigns, as well as racism and anti-Semitism, also plagued the election campaign, and more than 50 candidates reported having been physically attacked – highly unusual for France.
Unlike other countries in Europe France is more accustomed to coalition governments, with no tradition of MPs from rival political camps coming together to form a majority. France is more centralised than many other European countries, with many decisions taken in Paris.
