French President Macron Refuses Prime Minister’s Resignation to Retain ‘Stability’

French President Emmanuel Macron has refused the resignation of the country’s prime minister, asking him to remain on temporarily as the head of the government after the July 7 runoff legislative election delivered France a hung parliament. Mr. Macron requested that Prime Minister Gabriel Attal stay in office “to ensure the stability of the country,” following a 90-minute meeting with the president’s top political allies on July 8. Mr. Attal offered his resignation earlier in the day but said he would remain in office if needed, prompting the president’s request for him to continue in his position. The French election was mired by disarray, as a second round of voting was triggered after the first round of elections on June 30 failed to identify enough candidates with more than 50 percent of the vote in their electorate. But after the runoff, none of the parties on the left, center, or right were close to forming a majority in the lower house, leaving no obvious path for the formation of government....