Macron accepts resignation of French PM

French President Emmanuel Macron has accepted the resignation of Gabriel Attal, but the 35-year-old will remain a caretaker prime minister until the fractious parliament can agree on a new one.

Macron had called a snap election after a poor showing in the European polls last month, only for his Ensemble bloc to finish third, with 163 seats in the National Assembly, after the second round of voting on July 7. He refused Attal’s resignation the day later.

“[Attal] will ensure, with the members of the government, the handling of current affairs until the appointment of a new government,” the Elysee Palace said on Tuesday.

“In order for this period to end as quickly as possible, it is up to the republican forces to work together to build unity around the projects and actions in the service of French women and men,” the presidential statement concluded.

Macron had made a pact with the New Popular Front (NFP), a coalition of various left-wing parties, to defeat the rightist National Rally (RN), which trounced the president’s bloc in the first round. After the second round of voting, the NFP emerged with 182 seats in the parliament, while RN ended up with 143. The 577-seat chamber requires 289 for a parliamentary majority.

Attal was appointed in January to replace Elisabeth Borne, becoming the youngest and the first openly gay head of government in French history. He had previously served in two ministerial posts and as a government spokesman.

The acting prime minister will remain a member of parliament, having been handily re-elected in his Hauts-de-Seine constituency. He was also the only candidate running for leadership of the Renaissance group of deputies this past weekend.

In a letter to his party colleagues after the election, Attal said he wanted to “protect the French” from any government that would include ministers from RN or La France Insoumise (LFI), the senior partner in the New Popular Front.

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