New Delhi: French President Emmanuel Macron Tuesday appointed Gabriel Attal as Prime Minister, in a bid to move his second term beyond divisive reforms involving pensions and immigration, and tackle the country’s growing cost-of-living crisis.
Attal is France’s first openly gay premier, and, at 34, the youngest post-war PM. He replaces Elisabeth Borne, who resigned after being in the post for a little over a year.
Attal, who served as education minister before his fresh appointment, is seen as one of the rising figures in French politics. He was found to be one of the country’s most popular politicians in an Ipsos-Le Point opinion poll last month, with an approval rating of 40 per cent.
The prime minister’s office is the second highest in France, and leads the government. The PM is responsible for day-to-day governance, while the president looks at foreign policy and defence.
While the president is elected by the public, the PM is appointed by the President and advises them on government formation.
Attal is the fourth head of government to take office during Macron’s presidency.
Macron himself was the youngest president in the country’s history when appointed in 2017, at the age of 39. The combined age of Macron, 46, and Attal is less than that of US President Joe Biden,81, who is running for a second term in the 2024 election.
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‘Word sniper’
Attal is the son of Yves Attal, a lawyer and film producer of Tunisian Jewish descent who died in 2015, and Marie de Couriss, a descendent of Orthodox Christians from Odessa in present-day Ukraine. He began his political career in the Socialist Party before joining Macron’s presidential campaign in 2016.
He was elected to parliament the following year and joined the government in 2018 as secretary of state for the youth, becoming the youngest cabinet member since the start of France’s Fifth Republic (the country’s system of governance since 1958).
He is known to have commendable communication skills, and to think on his feet while answering questions in parliament — qualities that have earned him the nickname the ‘word sniper’.
His roles through his rise include serving as government spokesperson during the Covid-19 pandemic, and budget minister. When he became the minister of education in July 2023, one of his first decisions was banning the Muslim abaya dress in state schools, which gained him popularity among many conservative voters despite his Leftist roots.
Before joining politics, he briefly worked in the office of the then health minister Marisol Touraine in 2012. Touraine called him a “clever, responsive man”, predicting for him “a great career and a bright future”.
Attal is currently in a civil partnership with Stephane Sejourne, a member of the European Parliament and secretary general of the governing party – now named Renaissance – who was a political adviser to Macron until 2021.
Focus areas as PM
Attal has vowed to act fast to help the middle class tackle cost-of-living issues caused by rising energy and fuel prices on account of the Russia-Ukraine war, supply chain disruptions and climate change.
Other priority areas include education, strengthening the middle class, and controlling immigration.
Attal will lead France in the upcoming European Parliament elections in June.
(Edited by Sunanda Ranjan)
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