French and foreign politicians react to French election upset

PARIS (Reuters) -Following are reactions to the upset results of France's parliamentary election on Sunday. The country was on course for a hung parliament with the left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) coming first, ahead of President Emmanuel Macron's centrists and the far-right National Rally (RN).

PRIME MINISTER GABRIEL ATTAL

"Tonight, the (political) extremes have no absolute majority, thanks to our determination and the strength of our values. We (centrists) have three times more MPs than were predicted at the start of this campaign.

"Being prime minister was the honour of my life. This evening the political group that I represent no longer has a majority and tomorrow morning I will submit my resignation to the president."

JORDAN BARDELLA, FAR-RIGHT NATIONAL RALLY PARTY

"I say tonight with gravity that depriving millions of French people of the possibility of seeing their ideas brought to power will never be a viable destiny for France. 

"Tonight, by deliberately trying to paralyze our institutions, Emmanuel Macron has not simply pushed the country towards uncertainty and instability, he has deprived the French people of any response to their day-to-day difficulties for many months to come. 

"In the midst of a purchasing power crisis, with insecurity and disorder hitting the country hard, France is deprived of a majority, of a government to act, and therefore of a clear course to turn France around."

JEAN-LUC MELENCHON, HARD-LEFT FRANCE UNBOWED PARTY

"The will of the people must be strictly respected. No arrangement would be acceptable. The defeat of the president and his coalition is clearly confirmed. The president must accept his defeat.

"The prime minister must go. The president must invite the New Popular Front to govern."

FRANCOIS HOLLANDE, FORMER SOCIALIST PRESIDENT

"The New Popular Front must realise what it has to do today. It is the strongest party in the National Assembly. It does not have an absolute majority. As I speak, it has a relative majority."

RAPHAEL GLUCKSMANN, SOCIALIST PARTY

"We're ahead, but we're in a divided parliament ... so we're going to have to act like grown-ups.

"We're going to have to talk, to discuss, to engage in dialogue ... The balance of power has shifted in parliament ... and there's going to be a fundamental change of political culture."

OLIVIER FAURE, SOCIALIST PARTY

"We have to do our utmost to reunite the country. The RN had made the choice of dividing French citizens from one another. We must put the country back on a clear path and the New Popular Front must take the lead in this new chapter of our history."    

EDOUARD PHILIPPE, FORMER PRIME MINISTER AND LEADER OF CENTRIST HORIZONS PARTY

"We're going to have to listen to the country, look the world and reality in the face, and work hard to propose a coherent, solid project to the French people.

"This work, I'm ready to say, cannot be the work of a single man or a small group of experts, it must bring together the widest possible range of intelligence and experience.

"The credibility of our country could be damaged by this and the centrist political forces must without compromise make an agreement to stabilize politics but without France Unbowed and the RN."

POLISH PRIME MINISTER DONALD TUSK

"In Paris enthusiasm, in Moscow disappointment, in Kyiv relief. Enough to be happy in Warsaw."

PAOLO GENTILONI, EUROPEAN COMMISSIONER FOR ECONOMY

"Vive la Republique!"

NILS SCHMID, MEMBER OF GERMAN PARLIAMENT AND FOREIGN POLICY SPOKESPERSON FOR SPD PARTY IN THE BUNDESTAG

"The worst has been avoided... The president is politically weakened, even if he retains a central role in view of the unclear majority situation. Forming a government will be complicated."

(Compiled by Estelle Shirbon;Editing by Frances Kerry and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)