Gabriel Attal will remain Prime Minister for some time after his resignation has been accepted, but he will be at the head of a resigning government. A situation that implies several more or less advantageous changes.
Although he knows that his departure from Matignon is inevitable, Gabriel Attal remains Prime Minister until further notice. This is what emerges from Emmanuel Macron’s letter to the French people published on July 10 in the regional daily press. “The current Government will continue to exercise its responsibilities” until a coalition agreement has been concluded “and then will be in charge of current affairs as is the republican tradition” wrote the President of the Republic, without specifying the date until which Gabriel Attal will retain his full prerogatives as Prime Minister. However, a deadline seems to be emerging for the government to resign.
Gabriel Attal already handed in his resignation on Monday, July 8, the day after the legislative elections and the defeat of the presidential camp, but Emmanuel Macron refused it, leaving the Prime Minister with all his powers. The head of government will therefore have to resign once again, when an alliance has been found, for it to be accepted and make the Prime Minister and his government resign. The ministers will therefore see their functions limited to the strict minimum, but will find some of them in other institutions, notably in the National Assembly.
What can and cannot a resigning government do?
A resigning government is destined to leave to make way for a new ministerial team, but it remains in place until the latter is appointed. There is therefore a period of time between the submission and acceptance of the resignation of the Prime Minister and his government and the arrival of their replacements: it is during this period, which generally lasts between a few days and a few weeks, that the resigning government is in place. It then ensures only “current affairs” – hence the other name of the resigning government – to “ensure, in the name of continuity, the minimal functioning of the State” explained Claire Landais, the secretary general of the government, in a vade-mecum to the ministries reports Politico.
The Prime Minister and his resigning government are therefore deprived of the functions they previously performed, such as passing a reform by decree, proposing a bill, changing a regulation or launching a plan. The resigning government also escapes meetings such as the Council of Ministers since no decision-making is possible. Above all, because it is promised to leave, a resigning government cannot be targeted by a motion of censure, unlike a government with full prerogatives.
Changes for deputy ministers
Ministers therefore lose the interest in their function when a government resigns, but those who are deputies in addition to being members of the government can also find advantages within the National Assembly. In particular, they can claim and weigh in when assigning positions of responsibility in the hemicycle such as the presidency of the Assembly or those of the various committees, something that is impossible for them as long as they are part of the executive.
These key elections for the National Assembly must take place after the constitution of all the groups, i.e. from July 18. This detail, coupled with the fact that from its first meeting, also set for July 18, the hemicycle can file a motion of censure against the government, could push Emmanuel Macron to make the government resign before this date. He would spare himself the overthrow of a government that he knows must be replaced and he could allow his camp to count on the votes of the 18 ministers deputies when allocating positions in the Assembly, and therefore be better represented.