French PM takes on caretaker role in deadlocked France

PARIS — France’s President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Gabriel Attal’s government, which will now serve only in a caretaker capacity, the presidency said.

French politics have been in gridlock since an inconclusive snap election earlier this month, with parties in the national assembly scrambling to put together a governing coalition and no successor to Attal in sight.

Later on Tuesday, Attal said he would propose meetings with competing political groups “to move towards an action pact” on forming a new government.

But he ruled out any prospect of staying on himself.

“I do not aspire to be the next prime minister. I will not be the next prime minister,” the outgoing premier told the broadcaster TFI.

Attal and his team would “handle day-to-day business until a new government is named”, the Elysee Palace said.

“For this period to come to an end as quickly as possible, it is up to republican forces to work together to build unity,” it added, referring to mainstream political parties but excluding the far right and hard left.

Macron had announced the plan earlier in the day at the government’s first Cabinet meeting since his allies were roundly beaten earlier this month in a snap parliamentary election he had called to “clarify” the political landscape.

Macron told the ministers he would ask Attal to stay on “for some weeks”, probably until after the Paris Olympics, which open on July 26, meeting participants said.

This gives political parties more time to build a governing coalition after the July 7 election runoff left the lower house without an overall majority grouping.

Left infighting 

A broad alliance called the New Popular Front (NFP) that includes Socialists, Communists, Greens and the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) won the most seats, with 193 in the 577-strong lower chamber.

Macron’s allies came second with 164 seats and the far-right National Rally (RN) third with 143.

The divided NFP alliance has been scrambling to come up with a consensus candidate for prime minister.

But internal conflicts — notably between the LFI and the more moderate Socialists — have thwarted all efforts to find a personality able to survive a confidence vote in parliament.

Over the weekend, the Socialists torpedoed the hopes of Huguette Bello, 73, a former communist member of parliament and the president of the regional council in France’s overseas territory La Reunion, who had support from the other left-wing parties.

The LFI, in turn, rejected 73-year-old Laurence Tubiana, an economist and climate specialist without political affiliation, who had the backing of the Socialists, Communists and Green Party.

Leftist lawmaker Francois Ruffin on Tuesday called the NFP’s infighting “shameful”, a day after Green member of parliament Sandrine Rousseau said the disagreements made her “very angry”.

‘No warmth’ 

On Saturday, Attal was voted in as leader of his party’s national assembly contingent, as he eyes his own future outside government, saying he would “contribute to the emergence of a majority concerning projects and ideas”.

Macron and Attal, observers say, are still hoping to find a right-of-centre majority in parliament that would keep both the LFI and the far-right RN out of any new coalition.

Macron told Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting that it was the “responsibility” of his allies to come up with a proposal “for a majority coalition or a wide-ranging legislative pact”.

This, he said, would help preserve his government’s “economic achievements” and favour “social justice”.

Following their resignation, Attal and other Cabinet members will be able to take their seats in parliament and participate in any coalition building.

Parliament reconvenes on Thursday and will start by filling the national assembly speaker job and other key positions.

Cracks have appeared between Attal and his former mentor Macron, whom the prime minister appears to blame for the electoral defeat only six months after being appointed France’s youngest ever head of government at 34.

At Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting there was “no tension” visible between the two men, but “no warmth” either, said one participant.

Macron still has almost three years to go as president before elections in 2027, when far-right leader Marine Le Pen is expected to make a fresh bid for power.