France’s Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced he would offer his resignation to President Emmanuel Macron on Monday after his party failed to secure a majority in parliamentary elections.
However, Attal indicated he was willing to remain in office “as long as duty demands,” especially with the Paris Olympics set to begin in three weeks.
An alliance of French left-wing parties was projected to become the largest parliamentary bloc, surpassing both the far right and President Macron’s coalition, according to surprising results.
No party won an absolute majority, leaving France in political uncertainty just two days before a major NATO summit and three weeks before the Olympics.
Attal reiterated his readiness to serve if Macron refused his resignation, particularly given the upcoming Games.
The New Popular Front (NFP) — an alliance formed last month after Macron called snap elections — united the Socialists, Greens, Communists, and the hard-left France Unbowed.
Despite this, Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally (RN) led after the June 30 first round of voting, with polls predicting it would become the largest party in parliament after Sunday’s run-off.
Projections based on vote samples by four major polling agencies showed no group on track for an absolute majority, with the left-wing NFP leading both Macron’s centrist Ensemble and Le Pen’s RN.
Macron has yet to publicly address the projections, with an aide advising “prudence and analysis of the results.”
Le Pen remarked, “The tide is rising. It did not rise high enough this time, but it continues to rise, and our victory has only been delayed.”
