French President Emmanuel Macron appointed Gabriel Attal, a 32-year-old minister known for his calm and relaxed demeanor and clever responses as the new PM.
He is set to be the ‘youngest’ and ‘first openly gay’ Prime minister in French history. Attal belongs to the Renaissance party and will be succeeding Elisabeth Borne, who resigned on Monday.
Why a Change now?
After coming to power in 2022, Macron soon lost the parliamentary majority, and 2023 began with a massive backlash against his pension plans and ended with protests against changes in immigration laws.
Ahead of the European Parliament election, Macron is seeking to breathe new life into his second mandate. The move will not lead to any significant political shift. Still, it signals a desire for Macron to try to move beyond last year’s unpopular reforms and improve his centrist party’s chances in the June EU elections.
Who is Gabriel Attal?
In the early years of Macron’s presidency, he was one of a group of well-educated young men from comfortable backgrounds picked to advise & support the young president.
Other positions held by him include Head of LREM and Govt. spokesperson during COVID, which made him a name known in every household. Apart from these, he was the Public accounts minister and Education minister and was elected to the National Assembly in June last year. He is often called the “Sniper” for his exceptional communication skills and his ability & willingness to speak out in Public on any issue in front of him.
Macron, who was once seen as the Golden Boy of French politics for his dynamic and youthful ambitions, has lost the parliamentary majority and is banking on Attal’s dynamism, ambition and youthfulness to arouse a new energy into a government weakened by its lack of parliamentary majority and attract a young generation of disenchanted voters to their party in the run-up to the European elections.
A recent survey carried out by Elabe for Les Échos suggests it will be a popular appointment. 36% of those who responded believe Attal would make an excellent prime minister.
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