PARIS — Prime Minister Gabriel Attal of France announced he would offer his resignation to President Emmanuel Macron on Monday, following his coalition’s failure to secure a parliamentary majority in Sunday’s elections. Despite this, Attal stated he was prepared to remain in office “as long as duty requires,” especially with the Paris Olympics just three weeks away.
“Being prime minister is the honor of my life,” Attal declared. However, with Macron’s coalition losing its majority, he added, “In keeping with republican tradition, I will tender my resignation to the President of the Republic tomorrow morning.”
The Elysée Palace indicated that President Macron would wait until the new Assemblée is “structured” before making any decisions, suggesting that Attal might continue in his role in the immediate future. “I will, of course, continue to assume my duties for as long as duty requires,” Attal reiterated.
Projected results showed Macron’s coalition winning between 150 and 170 seats, a significant drop from the 250 seats held in the previous legislature. The coalition was overtaken by the left-wing Nouveau Front Populaire alliance but retained second place ahead of the far-right Rassemblement National.
“Tonight marks the start of a new era,” Attal said in his address, emphasizing that France’s future would “more than ever” be shaped in Parliament. “This dissolution, I did not choose it, and I refused to suffer through it,” he stated. “This evening, no absolute majority can be led by the extremes,” he added, expressing satisfaction that his coalition had “held on,” securing “three times as many MPs as some estimates were giving at the start of this election.”
