Macron rejects his prime minister’s resignation
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Emmanuel Macron asked his prime minister not to step down as he pleaded for calm after chaotic parliamentary election results left the country facing a hung parliament.
Gabriel Attal offered his resignation on Sunday night after parliamentary election results pushed Mr Macron’s party into second place, triggering frantic talks to form a new government.
Mr Macron on Monday said he had turned down the resignation, and asked Mr Attal, 35, to remain in post for now to “ensure the stability of the country” just two weeks ahead of the Paris Olympics.
The New Popular Front, or NFP, which comprises Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s hard-Left France Unbowed (LFI), Communists, Greens and Socialists, came first in Sunday’s snap legislative election, taking 193 seats in the 577-seat National Assembly.
Mr Macron’s centrist Together group came second on 165 seats and Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) and its allies came third on 143 seats, in a stunning setback for the hard-Right party that polls had predicted to come out in front.
The snap election was called in the wake of the Macron camp’s humiliating defeat to RN in last month’s European parliamentary elections.
Mr Macron insisted it would bring “clarity” over the French electorate’s wishes.
However, it has ended in confusion as the three main blocs fell far short of the 289 seats required for an outright majority, raising the prospect of deadlock until a workable majority can be cobbled together, which could take weeks.
With no single group approaching an absolutely majority, the options include the NFP seeking to form a minority government and support on a bill-by-bill basis (as Mr Macron’s minority government has over the past two years), a broad coalition for the centre-Left and centre-Right, or a government of technocrats.
Flush with its unexpected pole position, the Left-Green alliance announced that it would come up with its own candidate for the next head of government “within the week” to replace Mr Attal.
Mr Mélenchon, whose LFI won the most seats in the alliance (74), on Sunday evening unilaterally called on Mr Macron to “leave or appoint a prime minister” from the NFP, which he implied should come from his party.
He insisted the NFP should then be allowed to instantly start rolling out its soak-the-rich programme that that would boost the minimum wage by14 per cent, cut the retirement age from 64 to 60 and freeze on energy prices and essential goods – if necessary by decree.
His lieutenant Manuel Bompard confirmed the party stance on Monday, saying: “The president must appoint as prime minister someone from the NFP, to implement the NFP’s programme, its whole programme and nothing but its programme.”
But Socialists and Greens are keen to put other names forward for prime minister, pointing out that together they form a larger group than Mr Mélenchon’s.
Socialist Olivier Faure, for his part, hoped that the NFP would be “in a position to present a prime ministerial candidate within the week”. Both he and Marine Tondelier, the Green Party leader, said that the figure should be someone “consensual”, which appeared to rule out the divisive Mr Mélenchon. However, one of his loyalists, Mathilde Manot, said the Leftist firebrand was “absolutely not disqualified” for the post.
Many commentators said it was totally unrealistic for the NFP to think it could impose its radical programme without support from a wider coalition.
“The truth is that the Left cannot hope to govern without compromising, in one way or another, with more centrist forces,” wrote Left-leaning editorialist Laurent Joffrin. “French voters did not give it a mandate to implement its programme, but to prevent the RN from taking power. Let’s not forget that the lion’s share of NFP MPs in the new assembly were elected by voters from another party.”
With Mr Macron due to fly out on Wednesday to a Nato summit in Washington, his camp argued that it was up to the president to appoint the new prime minister from the largest group in parliament that can form a workable majority.
“It is important not for the president, but for the country, to have a majority that can govern and take decisions, that can pass a budget and that can implement public policy,” said an Elysée source.
“Today, no one coming out of the election is able to claim that….The president must find a personality who is capable of emerging from this.”
The Macron camp is seeking a coalition with what it calls a “Republican arc” of centre-ground MPs, excluding LFI and RN.
If negotiations fail, Mr Macron could appoint a non-partisan expert government to manage day-to-day affairs, subject to parliamentary approval
Gérard Larcher, the president of the French senate, said on Monday that Mr Macron “has plunged us into political instability”.
“An electoral cartel of the hard-Right and Left, with no future due to fundamental disagreements, comes in first but cannot claim to govern France with a project that would lead to economic and social disaster,” he warned.
On Monday night, Mr Mélenchon refused to rule himself out as the next French prime minister, despite reservations from his own camp saying: “I’m part of the solution, not part of the problem.”
He insisted that according to French political tradition, it was up to his LFI party to decide.
“Since the country has known situations of cohabitation, the party with the majority chooses a prime minister. I think it’s a wise rule.”
He said a name would be put forward “this week”.
03:00 PM BST
Today’s live coverage has ended
Today’s live coverage has ended. Here is a roundup of the day’s main events:
Emmanuel Macron is calling for “prudence” after his party came second to the hard-Left in France’s snap election.
Mr Macron on Monday decided to keep Gabriel Attal, his prime minister, in office.
France is at risk of “immediate financial crisis” after the election result, the country’s outgoing economy minister has warned.
Gérard Larcher, the president of the French senate, said on Monday that Mr Macron “has plunged us into political instability”.
02:56 PM BST
Jordan Bardella ‘takes responsibility’ for National Rally defeat
Jordan Bardella, the president of the National Rally, took responsibility on Monday for the defeat of his hard-Right party in the second round of the parliamentary elections.
“Mistakes are always made, I have made them,” Mr Bardella told reporters. “I take responsibility for both the victory in the European elections and the defeat yesterday.”
Mr Bardella, who currently sits as a member of the European Parliament, is set to chair a new nationalist European group created by Viktor Orbán, the Hungarian prime minister, French and Italian MEPs announced on Monday.
02:49 PM BST
’Difficult’ to form a government, says Green leader
The Green party leader told France Inter radio on Monday that forming a government is “not going to be simple, no, it’s not going to be easy, and no, it’s not going to be comfortable”.
“It’s going to take a bit of time,” Marine Tondelier added.
The Green Party is one of the partners in the Left-wing alliance New Popular Front, which emerged as the largest coalition in the parliamentary elections but fell short of a majority by just over 100 seats.
Possibilities include the Left forming a minority government and the cobbling together of an unwieldy coalition of parties with almost no common ground.
02:44 PM BST
Renaissance MP calls for new ‘social democratic’ group in National Assembly
Sacha Houilié, an MP for Emmanuel Macron’s party Renaissance, called on Monday for the creation of a new “social democratic” group in the National Assembly, according to France Info.
Mr Houilié, a figure on the left of Renaissance, opposed Mr Macron’s contentious reforms on immigration and unemployment benefits.
“After such an event and such a shock, it would be suicidal to continue to govern as before, to let ourselves be led by out-of-touch partisans who govern by polls, to sell ourselves for a commission, presidency or vice-presidency of the Assembly,” Mr Houilié told Renaissance MPs.
02:30 PM BST
How did France vote?
How France’s election rounds compared nationwide:
02:24 PM BST
Watch: France faces hung parliament after leftist alliance election win
02:16 PM BST
Major trade union calls on Macron to form left-wing government
The General Confederation of Labour (CGT), one of France’s largest trade unions, called on President Emmanuel Macron on Monday to form a government led by the hard-left coalition the New Popular Front, which won the most seats in the parliamentary election but failed to secure an outright majority.
The CGT condemned Mr Macron for calling the election and trying “to pit the far right against the left, thus contributing to the legitimisation of the National Rally and its ideology”.
Mr Macron, the CGT said, was “severely punished” in the election and he should “respect the choice of the ballot boxes”.
01:50 PM BST
Germany’s Scholz hopes for ‘constructive’ government
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed hope on Monday that France would form a “constructive” government following parliamentary elections that left no bloc with a clear majority.
“We hope that the president and the elected MPs will manage to bring about a constructive government formation,” Mr Scholz told reporters.
01:28 PM BST
Analysis: Could Macron form coalition with moderate left?
President Emmanuel Macron might attempt to form a coalition with the moderate left, although such negotiations are expected to be challenging given France’s lack of precedent for such arrangements.
Any agreement could manifest as a fragile, informal alliance.
While Mr Macron has ruled out collaboration with the hard-left France Unbowed party, he might extend invitations to the Socialists and Greens, who could decline the offer.
Recently, Mr Macron’s administration paused a decree that would have reduced workers’ unemployment benefits, seen as a conciliatory gesture towards the left.
If political negotiations fail, Mr Macron could appoint a non-partisan expert government to manage day-to-day affairs, although this too would require parliamentary approval.
The complexity is compounded by the need for any option to gain parliamentary support.
01:06 PM BST
Macron has plunged France into ‘political instability’, says French Senate president
Gérard Larcher, the president of the French senate, said on Monday that Mr Macron “has plunged us into political instability”.
“An electoral cartel of the hard-right and left, with no future due to fundamental disagreements, comes in first but cannot claim to govern France with a project that would lead to economic and social disaster,” Mr Larcher said in a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter.
Mr Larcher, who represents the Republicans, a centre-right party, also said the defeat of the hard-right was “fortunate”.
12:43 PM BST
Italy celebrates Le Pen’s performance
In Italy, Matteo Salvini, leader of the far-right populist League and a key ally of Marine Le Pen’s National Rally in France, celebrated her party’s strongest-ever performance in Parliament.
He criticised what he described as President Emmanuel Macron’s concerted effort to undermine Ms Le Pen’s chances of securing a governing majority.
Mr Salvini attributed incidents of violence, including attacks on police with stones in several cities after the election results, to “communists, social centres, pro-Islamists, and antisemites.”
As a junior partner in Premier Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing government, Mr Salvini has consistently aligned with Ms Le Pen on issues such as anti-migrant policies.
12:22 PM BST
France celebrates results
Although there have been protests in Paris, others in the capital have celebrated the election result.
12:01 PM BST
National Rally to join hard-right alliance in European Parliament
Marine Le Pen’s hard-right National Rally (RN) will join a growing new alliance in the European Parliament led by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Hungary’s government spokesperson said on Monday.
Austria’s far-right Freedom Party (FPO), Orban’s Fidesz and the populist Czech ANO party led by Andrej Babis have joined forces in the European Parliament, citing the fight against illegal immigration, as well as transferring more powers from Brussels back to member states as the alliance’s goals.
The RN has not yet commented.
11:56 AM BST
France at risk of ‘immediate financial crisis’ after election result
France is at risk of “immediate financial crisis” after the election result, the country’s outgoing economy minister has warned.
Bruno Le Maire celebrated the loss of the hard-right, but said there are risks ahead after president Emmanuel Macron’s party came second to the hard-left in a snap election.
“The most immediate risk is a financial crisis and France’s economic decline,” he said.
“The second risk is an ideological fracture of the nation,” he added.
Mr Le Maire called for like-minded groups to unite, urging forces that support the market economy, recovery of public finances, the energy transition, and the European project to set aside partisan interests.
11:47 AM BST
Macron urged to select left-wing prime minister
Emmanuel Macron has been urged to select a candidate for prime minister from the Leftist alliance that won the most seats in Sunday’s election.
Manuel Bompard, an MP from the hard-Left France Unbowed (LFI) party, said Mr Macron “must invite” a prime minister from the coalition of Left-wing, Green and Socialist parties that joined together as the New Popular Front (NFP)
Radical former LFI leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon could be a candidate for prime minister, according to Mathilde Panot, the president of LFI in the National Assembly.
The NFP will propose a prime minister this week, Mr Panot said on Monday, adding that France “voted against the far-right but also for the programme” of the hard-left.
The NFP won 182 seats, compared with 168 for Macron’s centrist coalition and 143 for the hard-right National Rally, led by Marine le Pen.
The left is far from the 289 seats needed for an absolute majority, raising questions as to how the NFP would govern with even fewer seats than Macron’s outgoing coalition, which had 250 MPs.
Mr Macron has yet to comment on the results of the election.
11:28 AM BST
Macron asks prime minister Gabriel Attal to stay in office temporarily
French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday decided to keep his prime minister Gabriel Attal in office after parliamentary elections in which the government’s political camp lost its role as the strongest party to the left in a hung parliament.
“The president has asked Gabriel Attal to remain prime minister for the time being in order to ensure the country’s stability,” Macron’s office said in a statement.
Attal had already flagged on Sunday he would offer his resignation, which follows French political tradition, but added he was prepared to stay in office longer as a caretaker and it was up to the president to decide.
11:20 AM BST
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal tenders resignation
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal tendered his resignation to Macron after arriving at the Elysée palace at 11:30am on Monday morning.
Mr Attal announced on Sunday night he would resign after his coalition failed to secure a majority in the parliamentary election. He climbed the steps of the Elysée with an envelope in hand and smiled at reporters before entering the palace.
It was unclear whether Macron would accept or refuse the resignation.
11:14 AM BST
Berlin expresses ‘relief’ in response to election result
A spokesperson for German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed “relief” following the left’s victory over the far right in the French run-off election on Sunday.
“Initially, there’s a sense of relief,” the spokesperson stated on Monday, noting that the formation of the new government in Paris is still uncertain.
The spokesperson added that there has been no direct contact between Chancellor Scholz and the victorious left-wing parties, and confirmed that President Emmanuel Macron remains Berlin’s primary point of contact.
10:47 AM BST
Macron calling for “prudence” after election defeat
Emmanuel Macron is calling for “prudence” after his party came second to the hard-left in France’s snap election.
Mr Macron, who has not spoken or appeared publicly since the result, faces the prospect of becoming a lame duck president presiding over a hung parliament.
He is privately calling for “prudence and analysis of the results”, according to an aide who spoke on Monday morning.
Mr Macron managed to bat away hard-right leader Marine le Pen, but failed to generate a decisive victory.
The left won 182 seats, Mr Macron’s centrist alliance 168 and Ms Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) and allies 143, interior ministry data cited by Le Monde newspaper showed.
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal is due to submit his resignation to Mr Macron on Monday. The left has yet to agree on who it will put forward as its prime ministerial candidate.
The unprecedented situation is taking shape just as Mr Macron is due to be out of the country for most of the week, taking part in the Nato summit in Washington.
09:47 AM BST
Spain’s prime minister hails “rejection of far-right” in France and UK
Spain’s socialist prime minister Pedro Sanchez hailed the “rejection of the far-right” in the recent elections in France and the UK on Monday.
Mr Sanchez welcomed France and the UK’s “decisive commitment to a social left that addresses people’s problems with serious and brave policies” in a post published on X, formerly Twitter.
“There is no agreement or government with the far-right,” Mr Sanchez added. “The United Kingdom and France have said YES to progress and social advancement and NO to the regression of rights and freedoms.”
09:21 AM BST
What are political leaders saying about the result?
Following France’s election results, here are some key comments from political leaders on Monday morning:
Marine Tondelier, Greens’ General Secretary:
“According to institutional logic, Emmanuel Macron should today officially call on the Nouveau Front Populaire to name a prime minister. Will he do so? As this president is always full of surprises, we shall see.”
Manuel bombard, France Unbowed leader
“It is the leading political grouping in the National Assembly that is to govern, so the President of the Republic has a duty to summon a prime minister from the new Popular Front to the Matignon (the prime minister’s residence).”
Olivier Faure, Socialist Party Leader:
“We need to present a candidate within the week.”
Yael Braun-Pivet, Senior Centrist Lawmaker, Macron Ally:
“What I am seeing is that the coalition that I have been calling for for months and which was impossible to achieve in the Assembly as it was then constituted, well now for me it has become compulsory because the will for it comes from the French people and that changes everything.”
Francois Bayrou, Centrist MoDem Party Leader:
“The path, I believe, can be found. I don’t say it is certain to be found. I think it’s extremely difficult.”
08:59 AM BST
Telegraph readers react
Telegraph readers have reacted to France’s shock election result.
08:43 AM BST
Germany’s Habeck sees French election result as challenge for relations
German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck expressed relief at the left’s victory over the far right in the French election, but cautioned that significant challenges remain for France, Europe, and the Franco-German relationship.
In remarks to reporters on Monday in Stuttgart, Mr Habeck highlighted the importance of remaining vigilant in the coming months.
German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck welcomed the left’s victory against the far right in
“We cannot say this went well and tick the checkbox yet,” Mr Habeck stated.
“We still need to pay close attention to what happens next in France,” he added.
08:33 AM BST
French left to name candidate for prime minister this week
The French left will choose a candidate for prime minister from within their electoral coalition within the week, Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure said on Monday.
Mr Faure’s socialists are one of the left-wing parties that make up the New Popular Front (NFP), the alliance that won the most seats - but no outright majority - in Sunday’s parliamentary election.
The results showed “a clear disavowal of the presidential camp”, Mr Faure told France Info radio on Monday, adding that the “only credible alternative” was the NFP.
He said that “realism is essential” as his coalition did not achieve an outright majority and will therefore be obliged to negotiate, but called on President Macron to “recognise” his defeat.
08:23 AM BST
Protestors react angrily to result
Protestors have reacted angrily to the election result in Paris.
The National Rally party was expected to have a strong showing in the second round of France’s parliamentary election.
08:07 AM BST
Ukraine supporters breathe sigh of relief
Many of France’s allies breathed a sigh of relief that the worst was averted as Marine Le Pen’s far-right failed to win a snap election.
Ukraine’s allies feared a Le Pen-led government could be soft on Moscow and pare back military aid that Kyiv has relied on since the Russian invasion in 2022.
“In Paris enthusiasm, in Moscow disappointment, in Kyiv relief. Enough to be happy in Warsaw,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on X.
08:05 AM BST
French Prime Minister offers resignation
French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said on Sunday he will hand his resignation to President Emmanuel Macron on Monday morning, after his coalition failed to win a majority in the parliamentary elections.
Mr Attal said he will remain in the post during the upcoming Paris Olympics and for as long as needed, as polling projections show that no party has won an outright majority.
“From tomorrow, our political space should get to work to build a new political offer, to think always and above all of the French, of their lives, and to personify hope for them once again,” Mr Attal said on Sunday as he announced his resignation.
