Macron keeps Gabriel Attal as prime minister to ensure stability
12:01 PM EDT, July 8, 2024
President Emmanuel Macron has asked Gabriel Attal to remain in his role as head of the government, acting as Prime Minister "for a certain period of time" to "ensure the country's stability," the Élysée Palace reported on Monday.
Earlier, it was reported that Attal had arrived at the Élysée Palace to tender his resignation to the president following Sunday’s parliamentary elections, in accordance with the procedure.
The right to appoint the Prime Minister in France belongs to the head of state, who must consider the composition of the new parliament. Although the left-wing New People's Front won Sunday’s elections, they have not yet presented a candidate for Prime Minister and lack an absolute majority to govern independently.
Traditionally, after elections, the head of government submits their resignation to the president, even if their political group wins. It is then up to the head of state to decide whether to accept the resignation.
The Élysée Palace stated in a release on Sunday that President Emmanuel Macron, as the guarantor of the institutions, will respect French society's choice in the parliamentary elections. At the same time, he will make decisions once the future parliament’s full composition is known.
France has decided: The results of the second round of elections are in
France’s Ministry of the Interior reported on Monday that in the second round of parliamentary elections, the left-wing New People's Front (NFP) secured 182 seats, the centrist camp of President Emmanuel Macron took 168 seats, and the far-right National Rally (RN) secured 143 seats.
The turnout in the second round of elections was 66.63 percent, slightly lower than the 66.71 percent in the first round held on June 30.
