Emmanuel Macron Rejects Prime Minister’s Resignation After Election Chaos Leaves French Government in Limbo
French President Emmanuel Macron declined the resignation of the prime minister, requesting on Monday, July 8, that he remain temporarily as the head of the government following the chaotic election results over the weekend that have left the government in uncertainty.
Macron asked his PM to stay, pending challenging negotiations to form a new government after a left-wing surge resulted in a parliament divided into three factions.
The leftist New Popular Front (NFP) emerged as the dominant force in the National Assembly after Sunday’s election, thwarting Marine Le Pen’s efforts to bring the far-right to power.
However, no party secured a working majority, indicating a period of political instability.
Options available to the French government include the NFP forming a minority government or a coalition of right, left, and centrist parties with no common ground, making it difficult to pass legislation through Parliament.
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, a centrist and close ally of Macron, tendered his resignation on Sunday, but Macron rejected it.
“The President has asked Gabriel Attal to remain prime minister for the time being to ensure the country’s stability,” Macron’s office stated.
A fragmented parliament will weaken France’s role in the European Union. The left won 182 seats, Macron’s centrist alliance 168, and Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) and allies 143, according to Interior Ministry data cited by Le Monde newspaper.
Jean-Luc Melenchon, one of the most divisive figures in French politics, explicitly ruled out any deal with centrists on Sunday, and on Monday his ally Eric Bompard was similarly uncompromising.
“The president must appoint as prime minister someone from the New Popular Front to implement the NFP’s program, the whole program and nothing but the program,” he said on France 2 television.
However, it is unlikely that any of the left-wing bloc’s key proposals, which include raising the minimum wage, reversing Macron’s pension reform, and capping the prices of key goods, would pass a parliamentary vote without some form of agreement with lawmakers outside the bloc.
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