French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal speaks after the announcement of the preliminary results of the second round of France’s legislative elections in Matignon, Paris, July 7, 2024.
Ludovic Marin | AFP | Getty Images
French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said he will submit his resignation on Monday after early polling data showed that he and French President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist Ensemble party and their allies came in second place in a parliamentary runoff.
Ensemble and its allies are expected to win between 150 and 180 seats, trailing the leading New Popular Front by 180-215 seats, according to IFOP estimates.
Both factions outnumbered the winner of the first parliamentary vote, the far-right National Rally (RN) or National Rally.
France now looks likely to be stuck in a hung parliament, split between three powerful parties that must broker a coalition to gain absolute control.
Attal, who only took office in January as France’s youngest-ever prime minister, is unlikely to take the country’s second-highest job in the incoming government.
“True to the Republican tradition and in accordance with my principles, tomorrow morning I will submit my resignation to the President of the Republic,” Attal said on Sunday, according to a CNBC translation.
“I know that in light of tonight’s results, many French people feel a certain uncertainty about the future because there is no absolute majority (in parliament). Our country is going through an unprecedented political situation,” Attal added
His departure was widely expected after the first presidential vote, when analysts said Macron would have to cede the premiership to RN leader Jordan Bardella if the far right retained its lead. ).
“From the very beginning of this election campaign, I have been alert to three risks: the risk of an absolute majority for France’s Insubordinate Movement, the risk of an absolute majority for the National Alliance, and the risk of the disappearance of a movement that embodies our ideas and our values, ” Attal said Sunday night. “Today, these three risks have been abandoned by the French people. Tonight, the extremists cannot lead any absolute majority.”
In light of the runoff results, Attal prepared for a transitional period in France’s political landscape:
“Ladies and gentlemen, tonight, a new era begins. A new era for our country,” he said.
facing uncertainty In one of Europe’s most frontline economies, markets will be watching in the coming days for signs on what alliances will be forged to achieve a ruling majority.
France’s leadership is unlikely to be completely dismantled after the election, as Macron has previously said he will serve out the remainder of his term until 2027 regardless of the outcome of the vote.
