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Macron’s centrist Ensemble alliance was beaten by the New Popular Front (NFP), a broad alliance of leftist and environmental parties, in snap parliamentary elections earlier this month.
French President Emmanuel Macron has accepted Prime Minister Gabriel Attal’s resignation. He has been asked to remain as head of a caretaker government until a new prime minister is appointed. Coming close to the Paris Olympics, this incident has raised eyebrows in political circles. The caretaker government, led by Attal, will manage day-to-day affairs. There is no set timeline for appointing a new prime minister.
Attal’s resignation allows him to take his seat as a lawmaker in the National Assembly, leading Macron’s centrist allies and avoiding a potential no-confidence vote.
Macron’s centrist Ensemble alliance was beaten by the New Popular Front (NFP), a broad alliance of leftist and environmental parties, in snap parliamentary elections earlier this month. The vote left the National Assembly with no dominant political bloc in power for the first time in the history of France’s modern republic, and a coalition government has yet to be formed between alliances or political parties. Until a government is formed, Attal’s caretaker government will run current affairs in the eurozone’s second-largest economy. Its role will also include making sure that the Olympic Games, which start on July 26, run smoothly.
Attal, 34, was appointed as France’s prime minister in January. He rose to prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic and served as France’s education minister before becoming the prime minister. As education minister, his first move was to ban the Muslim abaya dress in state schools, making him popular among conservatives in France.
Meanwhile, significant changes in immigration laws have been enacted. Six months after the controversial law’s enactment, several decrees have been published in the official journal. These decrees require foreigners seeking residency in France to adhere to “the principles of the Republic,” including personal freedom, freedom of expression, gender equality, human dignity, the Republic’s motto and symbols, territorial integrity, and secularism. Non-compliance with these principles can result in the refusal or withdrawal of residency permits.
These measures, part of a broader immigration reform, have been met with significant opposition from the left and human rights activists, who have labeled the laws as “inhumane” and “arbitrary.” Despite partial rejections by the Constitutional Council, the law was enacted in January 2023.
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Another decree strengthens the conditions for refusal or cessation of material reception conditions for asylum seekers and removes the mandatory administrative appeal against such decisions. Additionally, an administrative fine has been introduced to penalize the employment of unauthorized foreign workers, and the frequency of daily check-ins for those under house arrest awaiting deportation has been increased.
