Macron says they can find a new majority after losing control of parliament

All party leaders in the French parliament agree on the need to avoid a political gridlock, President Emmanuel Macron said in a televised address on Wednesday, adding that he would work towards forming a majority over the coming weeks.

In his first comments on the election in which his camp lost its absolute majority, Macron said new agreements must be struck across party lines and that the political decision makers now needed to learn to make compromises.

“To act in your interest and in the interest of the nation, we all have to learn how to govern and legislate differently – build new compromises with the political groups that constitute the new assembly through dialogue, listening, respect,” Macron said, adding that it remains “possible” to build a ruling majority.

Disaffected voters angry over spiralling inflation and Macron’s perceived indifference towards hard-up families delivered a hung this past Sunday’s election parliament, leaving the president’s centrist alliance several dozen seats short of a ruling majority.

With opposition parties rejecting, for now, any form of a coalition pact, Macron is looking at the prospect of having to enter into likely messy negotiations on every single bill as much is still up in the air.

Divisions have emerged among Macron’s allies on whether his centrist alliance should rule out any deal at all with far-right MPs or could work with them on an ad hoc basis.

Some of Macron’s ministers have been unequivocal about not working with Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (RN), which secured its largest ever contingent of lawmakers in the elections and is now the second-biggest party in the lower house of parliament. But others remained less clear cut.

Video: French presidential election takes place on Sunday