Macron names ally Gabriel Attal French Prime Minister at 34

EMMANUEL Macron appointed a 34-year-old ally as France’s prime minister in a bid to bring fresh impetus to his administration just months ahead of European Parliament elections, according to the president’s party.

Gabriel Attal, currently education minister, becomes the first openly gay head of government in France and the youngest to hold the post in modern history.

A rising star of French politics, he takes on the role after a bruising year for Macron that saw divisive battles over pensions and immigration that tested the president’s ability to push through reforms. At the same time, the far-right National Rally has seen its support surge.

The appointment of a new prime minister came a day after Macron accepted the resignation of Elisabeth Borne, 62, who stepped down along with the rest of the government after serving less than two years in office.

The overhaul comes ahead of the Olympic Games in Paris and European parliament elections this summer, where Macron’s centrist forces risk defeat at the hands of the far-right under Marine Le Pen.

A wider Cabinet reshuffle is expected this week as Macron seeks to sharpen his team for the final three years of his presidency.

He is already looking toward his legacy and is concerned whether he might be succeeded by nationalist Marine Le Pen, whom he beat in the two prior presidential runoffs.

European elections to be held in June are a test case for the growing popularity of the National Rally. So far, the outlook is grim for Macron, with Le Pen’s party easily outpacing his own in polls of voting intentions.

“Macron badly needs a fresh start,” said Melody Mock-Gruet, a Paris-based expert in parliamentary affairs. “Given the general fatigue regarding Macron at this stage, it’s not even sure a change of prime minister would be enough to make his star shine again.”

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Attal’s popularity with the French has surged since he took over education in July. He banned long, flowing dresses known as abayas in schools, said he would experiment with the use of school uniforms and changed the dates for France’s famed baccalaureate exams to later in the academic year.

Once a member of the Socialist party, he joined Macron’s En Marche movement ahead of the 2017 presidential election, and the two have since kept a close relationship.

Educated at Paris’s prestigious Sciences Po university, he is one of only a few ministers who remained in the Cabinet after Macron’s re-election in 2022 and has also served as the government’s spokesperson and junior budget minister. BLOOMBERG, AFP