PARIS, July 9 – France’s prime minister Gabriel Attal will temporarily stay in power as the country works out how to deal with the surprise outcome of a snap parliamentary election.
The result shocked voters and politicians, with the favorite party to win being pushed into third place by an opposing bloc of left-wing and centrist parties.
The left-wing New Popular Front secured the most seats, with the centrist bloc including President Emmanuel Macron’s party achieving the second most number of seats.
Having run a campaign that lost his party 80 seats, and its plurality in parliament, Prime Minister Gabriel Attal felt forced to offer his resignation to the president.
But the Elysee says Macron asked him to stay for the moment, citing the need for stability at a complex time from French politics, and with the Paris 2024 Olympic Games starting this month.
