French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced his resignation following a surprising victory by the left-wing alliance in the French parliamentary elections on Sunday, where his centrist camp failed to secure a majority.
Attal, a member of President Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance party, stated after the initial projections on Sunday evening that the Ensemble (Together) alliance, led by Renaissance, did not have the majority needed to govern. He plans to submit his resignation to Macron on Monday morning.
Attal’s governing camp is expected to drop from 245 seats to between 150 and 180 out of the 577 seats in the National Assembly, making it the second largest group behind the NFP, which is projected to secure between 172 and 215 seats.
Macron may ask Attal and his government to stay on temporarily until a new majority is formed.
With the Olympic Games set to start in Paris on July 26, there is a possibility that Attal’s government could remain in office for a few more weeks.
Macron appointed Attal as prime minister in January, making him the youngest prime minister in recent French history at 34.
Attal was popular and known for his ability to engage with representatives from other political camps.
Despite this, he was unable to resolve the government’s parliamentary issues and also led the campaign for the parliamentary elections.
Macron had aimed for a clear majority for his centrist forces in the National Assembly through the snap parliamentary election, but his effort fell short.
However, his camp performed better than expected after finishing third in the first round a week ago.
