France's Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said he would offer his resignation to President Emmanuel Macron on Monday after his coalition failed to win a majority in parliamentary elections Sunday, July 7. He added that if his resignation is refused, he was ready to remain in office "as long as duty requires," with the Paris Olympics due to begin in three weeks.
"Being prime minister is the honor of my life," he said. But because Macron's coalition failed to win a majority, he said, "In keeping with republican tradition, I will tender my resignation to the president of the Republic tomorrow morning."
According to the Elysée Palace, Macron will wait until the new Assemblée has been "structured" before "taking the necessary decisions," meaning Attal could stay in office in the coming days and weeks. "I will of course continue to assume my duties for as long as duty requires," Attal said.
Macron's coalition was expected to win between 150 and 170 seats, according to the projected results, down from 250 in the previous legislature. It was overtaken by the Nouveau Front Populaire left-wing alliance, but managed to keep second place ahead of the far-right Rassemblement National.
"Tonight marks the start of a new era," Attal said in his speech, stressing that France's destiny would "more than ever" be played out in Parliament. "This dissolution, I did not choose it, and I refused to suffer through it," he said. "This evening, no absolute majority can be led by the extremes," he declared, expressing satisfaction that his camp had "held on," obtaining "three times as many MPs as some estimates were giving at the start of this election."