The new election in France

Macron asks Attal to stay 'for now'

President Emmanuel Macron has asked Prime Minister Gabriel Attal to remain "for the time being" to "ensure the stability of the country", writes Le Monde.

Emmanuel Macron previously announced that he would wait until he knows the "structure" of the new National Assembly before choosing a new prime minister.

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The strategy may have decided the choice: "Symbolic sacrifice"

Between the first and second rounds of the election, several political leaders called on their third-placed candidates to withdraw from the election. The strategy may be an explanation for the second round's surprising results, according to several French media.

According to Gaël Sliman, chairman of the opinion institute Odoxa, these withdrawals have been very effective and have served as a "strong symbolic sacrifice".

- It is very effective, it has had a massive effect, he tells Franceinfo.

The fact that some absentee voters mobilized during the second round and voted to the detriment of the National Assembly can also explain the election result, according to him.

Matthieu Gallard, director of the opinion polling institute Ipsos, says in an interview with Le Parisien that yesterday's results show "clearly that the fear of National Rally is still strong and that it is reactivated when the party seems to be approaching power".

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No easy answer to how France should be governed: "Not good for democracy"

The French left-wing alliance New People's Front (NFP) faces major challenges and is far from an absolute majority, writes Le Monde. According to the newspaper, it will be difficult to unite Macron's group with the left-wing alliance, among other things because of Jean-Luc Mélenchon's radical Indomitable France. Now the question remains of how France is to be governed.

Electing a prime minister from the radical left risks repeated no-confidence votes not only from the centre-right and far-right but also from the president's group, The Guardian explains.

Alternatively, Macron could retain current Prime Minister Gabriel Attal to lead an expeditionary government. But such an election could lead to frustration for the French people, according to Benjamin Morel, a political analyst at the Panthéon-Assas University in Paris.

- An incredible number of French people have voted, the center was defeated, and if it ends up with Attal remaining as prime minister, it is not good for France's democracy, he tells Politico.
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