After Macron handed hung parliament, France risks gridlock

After his camp lost its parliamentary majority, French President Emmanuel Macron faced calls for his prime minister to resign, and doubt hung over his ability to rule decisively.

Following the delivery of a hung parliament after the weekend elections, Macron's centrist grouping is under pressure to secure support from rivals to salvage Macron's reform agenda.

Citing a source close to Macron, the news agency Reuters reported that Macron will invite all political parties able to form a group in the new parliament for talks on Tuesday and Wednesday.

For Macron, who won a second term just two months ago, the loss of his Ensemble alliance's absolute majority is a painful setback.

European Affairs minister Clement Beaune, a close ally of the French President, told LCI television, "We must think about a new way of functioning on an institutional level."

With a fledgling leftwing alliance in second place, Sunday's second-round vote left Ensemble as the biggest party.

Negotiating with opponents on a bill-by-bill basis, Macron now needs either to form a wider coalition or accept leading a minority government.

After just over a month in office, senior hard-left and far-right figures demanded Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne resign.

Government spokeswoman Olivia Gregoire told France Inter radio that Macron would soon reshuffle his government.

(With inputs from agencies)

Watch WION's live TV here: