No laws for the time being

France’s government officially resigned

France's Prime Minister Gabriel Attal will remain in office until the new government takes office.(Bild: APA/AFP/BERTRAND GUAY)

French President Emmanuel Macron has now accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Gabriel Attal's government after all. He had previously rejected the request, citing "the stability of the country". This means that the government can no longer initiate any laws or other projects.

At the same time, it cannot be toppled by a vote of no confidence. The current government will remain in office "on a caretaker basis until a new government is appointed", the presidential palace announced on Tuesday. The 17 ministers who won a seat in the parliamentary elections around a week ago will be able to vote on Thursday on who will take which leadership post. Prime Minister Gabriel Attal had already submitted a letter of resignation following the defeat of Macron's party.

No proposal for new government yet
The French President has already called on his political camp to submit a proposal for a coalition government or cooperation. He initially called on the left-wing alliance that won the election to do so, but this is now on the verge of breaking up. The Left Party and the Socialists have fallen out over the search for a prime minister. They accuse each other of "political blockade" and "undemocratic behavior".

The names mentioned so far are Olivier Faure, the leader of the Socialists, and Jean-Luc Mélenchon, founder of the Left Party. However, the latter is also a thorn in the side of parts of his own party due to his autocratic and polemical nature.

If we don't manage to find a solution in the next few hours or days, we will be shipwrecked.

Fabien Roussel, Chef der Kommunistischen Partei

There is no deadline for finding a new person for the post. Parliament cannot be dissolved for at least another year. France could face political gridlock in the coming months. "If we don't manage to find a solution in the next few hours or days, we will be shipwrecked", fears the leader of the Communist Party, Fabien Roussel.