French President Emmanuel Macron asked Gabriel Attal to stay on as prime minister after Attal tendered his resignation on Monday, July 8, following the loss of their majority in the Assemblée Nationale. The Elysée Palace said Macron had asked Attal to stay "for the moment" so as to maintain the "stability" of the country.
Speaking after the election results on Sunday, Attal said he was ready to remain in office "as long as duty requires," which would be as long as it takes for a new government to form. The left won the most seats on Sunday, with 182, but remains far from the threshold of 289 for an absolute majority. Macron's coalition won 168, close to 100 less than in the previous legislature.
The Elysée Palace said on Sunday that Macron, who has not spoken publicly since the election results, will wait until the new Assemblée has been "structured" before "taking the necessary decisions."
"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."
"Being prime minister is the honor of my life," said Attal, who retained his seat in the Assemblée Nationale in the elections on Sunday.