France’s President Emmanuel Macron accepted Prime Minister Gabriel Attal’s resignation on Tuesday, and the cabinet will now operate only as a caretaker, according to the presidency.
French politics have been paralyzed since an inconclusive snap election earlier this month, with parties in the National Assembly trying to form a governing coalition and no successor to Attal in sight.
The outgoing premier and his team would “handle day-to-day business until a new government is named,” the Elysee Palace stated.
“To bring this period to an end as soon as possible, republican forces must work together to build unity,” it said, referring to major political groups but excluding the far right and hard left.
Macron unveiled the idea earlier in the day at the government’s first cabinet meeting after his supporters were soundly defeated earlier this month in a snap legislative election called by him to “clarify” the political landscape.
Macron informed the ministers that he would ask Attal to stay on for “a few weeks,” most likely until after the Paris Olympics, which begin on July 26.
This allows political parties additional time to form a governing coalition following the July 7 election runoff, which resulted in the lower chamber lacking an overall majority.
Left infighting
The New Popular Front (NFP), which includes Socialists, Communists, Greens, and the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI), won the most seats (193 out of 577 in the lower chamber).
Macron’s allies finished second with 164 seats, with the far-right National Rally (RN) coming in third with 143.
The split NFP alliance has been trying to find a consensus candidate for Prime Minister.
However, internal tensions, particularly between the LFI and the more moderate Socialists, have stymied all efforts to find a figure capable of surviving a confidence vote in parliament.
Huguette Bello, 73, a former communist member of parliament and president of the regional council in France’s overseas territory La Reunion, who was supported by the other left-wing parties, saw her ambitions dashed over the weekend by the Socialists.
The LFI, in turn, rejected 73-year-old Laurence Tubiana, an economist and climate specialist with no political affiliations who was backed by the Socialists, Communists, and Green Party.
Leftist legislator Francois Ruffin termed the NFP’s internal strife “shameful” on Tuesday, a day after Green MP Sandrine Rousseau said the disagreements made her “very angry”.
‘No warmth’
On Saturday, Attal was elected head of his party’s National Assembly delegation, while he considers his own future outside of government, stating that he will “contribute to the emergence of a majority concerning projects and ideas”.
According to analysts, Macron and Attal are still expecting to secure a right-of-center majority in parliament that would exclude both the LFI and the far-right RN from any new alliance.
Macron told the cabinet meeting on Tuesday that it was his allies’ “responsibility” to come up with a plan “for a majority coalition or a wide-ranging legislative pact”.
This, he claimed, would help to protect his government’s “economic achievements” and promote “social justice”.
Following their resignation, Attal and other cabinet members will be allowed to resume their seats in parliament and participate in any coalition formation.
Parliament will reopen on Thursday, with the National Assembly speaker and other crucial seats being filled first.
Cracks have surfaced between Attal and his erstwhile mentor Macron, whom the prime minister appears to blame for the electoral defeat just six months after becoming France’s youngest ever head of government at the age of 34.
According to one participant, there was “no tension” between the two men during Tuesday’s cabinet meeting, but “no warmth” either.
Macron has nearly three years left as president before the 2027 elections, when far-right leader Marine Le Pen is anticipated to run again.