French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, left, and French President Emmanuel Macron.
| Photo Credit: AP

French President Emmanual Macron refused the resignation of the country’s Prime Minister, asking him on July 8 to remain temporarily as the head of the government after chaotic election results left the government in limbo.

French voters split the legislature on the left, center and far-right, leaving no faction even close to the majority needed to form a government. The results from July 7 (Sunday’s) vote raised the risk of paralysis for the European Union’s second-largest economy.

President Emmanuel Macron gambled that his decision to call snap elections would give France a “moment of clarification,” but the outcome showed the opposite, less than three weeks before the start of the Paris Olympics thrusts the country on the international stage.

France’s main share index opened with a dip, but quickly recovered, possibly because markets had feared an outright victory for the far right or the leftist coalition.

Prime Minister Gabriel Attal had said he would remain in office if needed but offered his resignation Monday morning. Mr. Macron, who named him just seven months ago, immediately asked him to stay on “to ensure the stability of the country.”

Mr. Attal on July 7 made clear that he disagreed with Mr. Macron’s decision to call the surprise elections. The results of two rounds of voting left no obvious path to form a government for either the leftist coalition that came in first, Mr. Macron’s centrist alliance, or the far right.

A woman enters a voting booth in to cast her vote in the French parliamentary elections. File
| Photo Credit: REUTERS

Voters in France’s overseas territories and living abroad started casting ballots on July 6 in parliamentary run-off elections that could hand an unprecedented victory to the nationalist far right.

Marine Le Pen’s anti-immigration party National Rally came out on top of first-round voting last on June 30, followed by a coalition of centre-left, hard-left and Greens parties – and President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist alliance in a distant third.

The second-round voting began on July 6 off the Canadian coast in the North Atlantic territory of Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, and followed in French territories in the Caribbean, South Pacific and the Indian Ocean, along with French voters living abroad. The elections wrap up on July 7 in mainland France.

Initial polling projections are expected when the final voting stations close at 8 p.m. Paris time (1800 GMT), with early official results expected late on Sunday and early Monday.

Mr. Macron called the snap legislative vote after the National Rally won the most votes in France in the European Parliament elections last month.

The party, which blames immigration for many of France’s problems, has seen its support climb steadily over the past decade and is hoping to obtain an absolute majority in the second round. That would allow National Rally leader Jordan Bardella to become prime minister and form a government that would be at odds with Macron’s policies on Ukraine, police powers and other issues.

Pre-election polls suggest that the party may win the most seats in the National Assembly but fall short of an absolute majority of 289 seats. That could result in a hung parliament.

Mr. Macron has said he won’t step down and will stay president until his term ends in 2027, but is expected to be weakened regardless of the result.

Paris, France:

Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally (RN) party emerged ahead in the first round of France’s parliamentary elections on Sunday, exit polls showed, but the unpredictable final result will depend on days of horsetrading before next week’s run-off.

The RN was seen winning around 34% of the vote, exit polls from Ipsos, Ifop, OpinionWay and Elabe showed.

That was ahead of leftist and centrist rivals, including President Emmanuel Macron’s Together alliance, whose bloc was seen winning 20.5%-23%. The New Popular Front, a hastily assembled left-wing coalition, was projected to win around 29% of the vote, the exit polls showed.

The results from the high-turnout vote, which were in line with polls ahead of the election, provided little clarity on whether the anti-immigrant, eurosceptic RN will be able to form a government alongside the pro-EU Macron.

A week of political bargaining now lies ahead of the July 7 run-off. The final result will depend on how parties decide to join forces in each of France’s 577 constituencies for the second round. In the past, France’s centre-right and centre-left parties have teamed up to keep the RN from taking power, but that dynamic, called the “republican front” in France, is less certain than ever.

The French president’s decision this month to call snap elections plunged his country into political uncertainty, sent shockwaves around Europe and prompted a sell-off of French assets on financial markets.

Participation in Sunday’s vote was high, underlining how France’s rumbling political crisis has energised the electorate.

By 1500 GMT, turnout was nearly 60%, compared with 39.42% two years ago – the highest comparable turnout figures since the 1986 legislative vote, Ipsos France’s research director Mathieu Gallard said.

A longtime pariah, the RN is now closer to power than it has ever been. Le Pen has sought to detoxify a party known for racism and antisemitism, a tactic that has worked amid voter anger at Macron, the high cost of living and growing concerns over immigration.

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