 its young prime minister gabriel atal who many felt had been rather hung out to dry by president macron's decision to call this snap vote he tendered his resignation today his letter that was promptly handed back to him with a figurative shake of the presidential head as he was asked to stay on in a caretaker capacity while a potential successor or a candidate for that role emerges from the back room conversations currently taking place amongst the various parties and coalitions the left-wing new popular front that's the name of the left-wing coalition