French PM takes on caretaker role during Olympics
France's President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Gabriel Attal's government, which will now serve only in a caretaker capacity, the presidency said. French politics have been in gridlock since an inconclusive snap election earlier this month, with parties in the National Assembly scrambling to put together a governing coalition and no successor to Attal in sight. Later on Tuesday, Attal said he would propose meetings with competing political groups "to move towards an action pact" on forming a new government. But he ruled out any prospect of staying on himself. "I do not aspire to be the next prime minister. I will not be the next prime minister," the outgoing premier told the broadcaster TFI. Attal and his team would "handle day-to-day business until a new government is named", the Elysee Palace said. "For this period to come to an end as quickly as possible, it is up to republican forces to work together to build unity," it added, referring to mainstream political parties. Macron had announced the plan earlier in the day at the government's first cabinet meeting since his allies were roundly beaten earlier this month in a snap parliamentary election he had called to "clarify" the political landscape. Macron told the ministers he would ask Attal to stay on "for some weeks", probably until after the Paris Olympics, which open on July 26, meeting participants said. This gives political parties more time to build a governing coalition after the July 7 election runoff left the lower house without an overall majority grouping. (AFP)