French PM eyes rebuilding political force after election as party leader

France’s prime minister on Saturday was elected leader of his party’s National Assembly lawmakers as politicians from all sides jockeyed for position to form the next government.

Gabriel Attal was the only candidate in the vote by the Renaissance party parliamentary group, which he plans to use as the base from which to rebuild the political force that got roundly beaten in a snap election called by President Emmanuel Macron.

Of the 98 Renaissance deputies registered to vote, 84 backed Attal, who will start in his role next week.

As Attal and other ministers eye a future outside government, deep cracks have appeared between the 35-year-old premier and his former mentor Macron.

Macron did not get any mention in Attal’s message to Renaissance deputies outlining his leadership bid, with observers saying that the prime minister blames the president for calling the vote, which he said took the party to the brink of "extinction”.

Sunday’s election runoff left the National Assembly without any overall majority, but a broad alliance — called New Popular Front (NFP) — of Socialists, Communists, Greens and the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) won the most seats, with 193 in the 577-strong lower chamber.

Macron’s allies came second with 164 seats and the far-right National Rally (RN) third at 143.

Macron, who still has nearly three years in office, lashed out at Attal and others in a closed-door meeting Friday, saying his political friends had made a "disastrous spectacle” of themselves since the snap election.

Participants at the meeting — attended notably by Attal, his rival Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin and former prime minister Elisabeth Borne — told AFP that Macron had urged his allies to give priority "to the nation rather than to premature ambition”.

According to the constitution, Macron will appoint the next prime minister, who must be able to survive a confidence motion in parliament.

This appointment could come as early as next week when the new National Assembly session opens, but Macron could ask Attal to stay on while Paris hosts the Olympic Games starting July 26.

Such a decision would also give the NFP bloc more time to hammer out agreement on a consensus candidate to pitch to Macron.

The alliance’s members have been at loggerheads about a suitable frontrunner.

LFI firebrand Jean-Luc Melenchon is one of a handful of names debated within the bloc.