Parliamentary shock: Gabriel Attal announces resignation after surprise victory

French Prime Minister Attal announces resignation – Surprise after parliamentary election

The political landscape in France is upside down after the left-wing coalition won a surprise victory in the parliamentary elections. Prime Minister Gabriel Attal has now announced that he will resign because President Emmanuel Macron's centrist camp has lost its majority in the National Assembly.

Projections suggested that Attal's government camp would drop from 250 seats to just 150-180 seats. This means that they will most likely become the second strongest force. Macron can ask Attal to stay in office on an interim basis until a new government majority can be formed.

Despite his popularity and his reputation for constructive discussions with representatives of other political camps, Attal was unable to rescue the government from its predicament. He unexpectedly took over the office of prime minister in January at the age of 34, making him the youngest prime minister in modern French history.

There is a possibility that Attal's government will remain in office for a few more weeks, especially with the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris starting on July 26. Macron had hoped to strengthen his centrist forces' majority in the National Assembly in the snap parliamentary election, but this failed. Nevertheless, his camp performed better than expected.