"The President has asked Gabriel Attal to remain prime minister for the time being in order to ensure the country's stability," Macron's office said in a statement.

Attal had already flagged on Sunday he would offer his resignation, which follows French political tradition, but added he was prepared to stay in office longer as a caretaker but it was up to the president to decide.

France was faced with an unsettling political vacuum Monday after snap elections called by Macron to reshape the political landscape failed to clear a path to a new government.

The left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) won most seats in Sunday's second-round parliamentary vote, beating both Macron's centrists and Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally (RN).

But no group wields an outright majority and no obvious candidate for prime minister has emerged. 

Many in France were overjoyed by the outcome, and cheering crowds gathered in eastern Paris to celebrate Le Pen's defeat, but potentially divisive talks on forming a new government were just beginning, three weeks before Paris hosts the Olympics.

Prime Minister Attal visited the Elysee Palace to submit his resignation to Macron, but was asked to remain in power in a caretaker capacity to see out the Games -- and reassure the international community and the markets that France still has a government.

Macron's office said, after the meeting, that the president had thanked Attal for leading the centrist alliance in the European and legislative elections and asked him to stay "for the time being in order to ensure the stability of the country".

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