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Report
French PM Attal hails new era for National Assembly
FRANCE 24 English
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7/7/2024
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00:00
My fellow countrymen, tonight, on this second round of the general elections,
00:09
you spoke democratically in a large turnout. And once again, I should like to thank all the
00:18
local officials who made it possible for this vote to run smoothly. I should like to congratulate
00:27
the 577 members of Parliament who have just been elected. Each of them owns part of a national
00:34
sovereignty, which is our dearest property. All these members of Parliament represent
00:42
the country. Ladies and gentlemen, I did not decide on the disbandment of Parliament,
00:54
but I decided to fight this campaign. My commitment was a duty from the beginning of
01:01
the campaign. I alerted on three risks, the risk of the absolute majority from the
01:10
insubmissive France, an absolute majority of the far right of the National Rally,
01:16
a France disconnected from its values and its beliefs. These three risks have been brushed
01:23
aside by the French. Tonight, no absolute majority can be driven by the extremes,
01:31
and this is because of the French spirit, so committed to the Republic and its values.
01:41
Our political discourse, that of the Republic and progress, that of authority and work,
01:48
that of ecological transition and the European construction, this discourse is very much alive
01:55
thanks to our determination, the strength of our values. We were able to hold on,
02:00
and we are still standing with three times as many members of Parliament as was initially
02:08
believed by the First Estimates. My thoughts go out to the candidates of the presidential party,
02:16
especially those who lost the election, those who stepped down between the two rounds. I would like
02:21
to tell them all my thanks, my absolute loyalty. Ladies and gentlemen, becoming the Prime Minister
02:33
was the honour of my life. Everywhere I went, I went out to meet you, to listen to you.
02:40
Everything you told me made me think about the country, and the bond between us
02:46
is the closest thing I have, is the dearest thing I have. My political party, even though
02:54
its performance was three times better than initially expected, is still not a majority,
03:00
and so, therefore, in line with Republican tradition and in keeping with my principles,
03:05
tomorrow morning, I shall resign from my post. I know that in the light of tonight's results,
03:15
many of my countrymen are concerned about the future because there is no absolute majority
03:19
in Parliament. Our country is facing an unprecedented political situation. It has
03:26
to face the world in a matter of weeks. Of course, I will abide by my role as long as necessary. This
03:38
is my responsibility for the country. I have a sense of duty, respect for the people. This is
03:45
the role of the Prime Minister. Ladies and gentlemen, tonight, a new era is unfolding,
03:51
a new era for the nation. As of tomorrow, the centre of gravity, because and by the will of
03:59
the people, will be in the hands of Parliament, the representatives of the nation, and therefore
04:05
in the hands of our citizens. We have a huge responsibility. I will not accept that the
04:16
political order should be divided between three blocks, each side trying to overcome the two
04:23
others. This is not France. This is not the French people. This I shall never accept,
04:29
especially tonight, as the far right is achieving a historical performance. When many French voted
04:39
for the extremes, I shall tell every one of you, I respect all of you, regardless of your choices,
04:45
because there are no different categories of French, those who are right and those who are
04:51
wrong, those who voted well and those who voted wrong. Some lives are more difficult than others,
04:58
and it is for us to make better those who have difficult lives.
05:05
My hope is to appease, to unite, and to act with a clear method, never betray our values,
05:12
never forge an alliance with people with whom we have nothing in common.
05:18
This is a new era for our candidates. We will have to come up with something new,
05:23
something big, something useful, and for this, we will have to accept that everything
05:30
can be challenged. As of tomorrow, we will have to build a new political offer.
05:37
We have to think especially of the French, their lives. We have to represent hope for all of them
05:42
with clear values. We have to guarantee the union of the country and not division. We have to be
05:50
humane while being diverse. We have to provide security to be on the side of those who believe
05:55
in France. We have to be on the side of our countrymen at all times. In this coming adventure,
06:03
when we have to take up the flame of our ideals, I know that I can count on the support of millions
06:08
of the French who refuse to see our values visibly. I know we can count on our newly elected
06:13
members of parliament who said that we have to change to meet the expectations of the country.
06:20
We shall refuse the extremes. We will not let the country being torn apart,
06:27
where everyone goes for himself. We have to seek appeasement instead of going
06:37
along. We have to remain loyal to our values, my fellow countrymen. We must show the strength of
06:53
the country. We have to show what France is capable of. We have to be ready to rebuild
06:59
the country because we are France and nothing resists the French people. Thank you.
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