The NFP, which includes the hard-Left France Unbowed (LFI) as well as Socialists and Greens, won 182 seats; Macron’s Together coalition 168; and the RN 143. No party came close to winning the 289 seats needed for an absolute majority in the 577-seat parliament.
Still, the NFP’s surprise victory has left the coalition with leverage over Mr Attal’s successor, with Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the firebrand LFI leader, calling on Mr Macron to “leave or appoint a prime minister” from the NFP.
French convention stipulates that the president names a prime minister from the winning party, but ongoing political infighting within the fragile coalition has stalled the group from putting forward a preferred candidate to succeed Mr Attal as head of government. It has also led to concerns about the new alliance’s ability to form a government.
Rift over next PM
On Tuesday, Olivier Faure, the Socialist party leader, said the coalition was on the cusp of narrowing down a single candidate for the prime minister slot, but stopped short of revealing any names.
“I won’t give a name at this stage, but we will have a single name,” Mr Faure said.
Earlier on Tuesday, LFI had said it had suspended talks about forming a government after it accused the more moderate Socialists of forming a “political blockade” over discussions by vetoing candidates for top posts, including the prime minister, put forward by LFI.
If a candidate is not decided on, it could lead to chaos when the new parliament session opens on Thursday. If an agreement is not reached by then, the NFP could dissolve altogether and the individual parties may seek new alliances.
The rift over the next prime minister was on full display on Tuesday after LFI leaders rejected putting forward the name of Laurence Tubiana, a former diplomat and moderate Left-wing potential candidate favoured by the other three parties with the NFP coalition.
Manuel Bompard, the president of LFI, told France 2 television on Tuesday he considered Ms Tubiana’s candidacy “not serious,” casting her off as someone whose politics were more aligned with Mr Macron’s centrists as opposed to the Leftist coalition.
Mr Faure shot back on French radio, accusing Mr Bompard of speaking for himself rather than on behalf of his party.
“I don’t see how it should be considered that the word of one person is binding on all the others,” Mr Faure said.