French PM Attal to Resign Amid Election Shakeup

French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said he will hand his resignation to President Emmanuel Macron, adding he will carry out his functions as long as required.

Attal made the comments after France's left-wing New Popular Front coalition won the most seats in the second voting round of parliamentary elections, leading pollsters said, putting them on track for an unexpected win over the far-right National Rally party but short of an absolute majority in parliament.

Gabriel Attal hailed that “no extremes,” referring to the far-right party National Rally and the left-wing alliance New Popular Front, secured an outright majority to govern the country.

“Tonight, the political formation that I represent in this campaign has no majority, I will submit my resignation to the president tomorrow morning,” Attal said.

The New Popular Front could win 180 to 205 seats in the parliament's lower chamber, the National Assembly, according to the latest projections based on the surveying company Ifop’s estimations.

The leftist New Popular Front alliance, which won France's second round of early general elections, secured 178 seats in parliament, the Interior Ministry announced, indicating that no political party or alliance will be able to form the next government on its own.

According to the election results announced by the ministry, the New Popular Front alliance of four leftist parties won the majority in the National Assembly in the second round of snap elections on July 7, winning 178 seats.

President Emmanuel Macron's Alliance Renaissance party won 150 seats in parliament, while the far-right National Rally got 125.

Voter turnout was 66.6%, according to the official announcement.

Following the RN's victory with approximately 33% of the vote in the first round of the French general elections on June 30, Macron and the leftist parties engaged in tacit cooperation.