By Elizabeth Pineau and Yiming Woo
PARIS (Reuters) – Gabriel Attal vowed to be ambitious and act temporarily to help the middle class cope with the new burden of life, after President Emmanuel Macron, to breathe new life into his second term, made him the youngest French prime minister in history. on Tuesday.
The appointment of Attal, 34, a popular and media rising star in French politics, is a testament to Macron’s willingness to move beyond divisive reforms and to his centrist party’s chances in June’s European elections. .
“Dear @GabrielAttal, I know I can count on your energy and your commitment to implement the project of revitalisation and regeneration that I announced,” Macron wrote on social media after appointing Attal, a close ally and former minister and government spokesman.
Widespread public discontent over the new burden of living and last year’s contentious pension reform has severely affected Macron’s audience and his chances in the European elections, where his party lags far behind Marine Le Pen’s far-right.
“I’m well aware of the context in which I take on this job,” Attal said.
“Too many French doubt our country, doubt themselves or our future. I think in particular of the middle class … who get up every morning to go to work … and sometimes can’t make ends meet,” he said, promising to work to “control our destiny and free up France’s potential”.
Shorn of a working majority in parliament, Macron has battled to push through his second-term reform agenda, and is now set to focus on more consensual objectives such as aiming to reach full employment.
Attal has polled as one of France’s most popular politicians in recent months. A Macron loyalist, he became a household name as government spokesman during the COVID pandemic and earned a reputation as a smooth communicator.
Macron, 46, and Attal have a combined age slightly younger than Joe Biden, who is serving his second term in this year’s US presidential election.
“The youngest president in (France’s) history is appointing the youngest prime minister in (France’s) history. I want to see it as a symbol of audacity,” said Attal, who is also the country’s first openly gay prime minister.
MORE DYNAMIC OR MORE IDENTICAL?
Attal replaces Elisabeth Borne, 62, only the second woman to hold the prime minister role in France. A dutiful and hard-working technocrat, her year and a half in office was marked by months of protests over the pension overhaul and riots over the police shooting of a teenager of north African descent.
It may take several days for Macron and Attal to appoint a new government. An adviser to the Elysee Palace said Wednesday’s normal cabinet meeting is unlikely this week.
In recent weeks, Macron, who has struggled to cope with a more turbulent parliament since his re-election in 2022, had signaled it was time for a change.
Some voters seemed to welcome that.
“I think it is very smart to have a young man because it is another concept, it is more dynamic,” said Rémi Blondel, an 81-year-old retiree.
Others, however, were skeptical, and the warring parties – and some voters – believed that little would change, since Macron himself takes over most of the decision-making process.
“What can the French expect from this fourth prime minister and fifth government in seven years?Nothing,” Le Pen said.
Attal is “young” and “fits in well. But beyond that, what does reorganization replace us?Personally, a lot,” says Paris-based Sophie Varillon.
MP Patrick Vignal, who belongs to Macron’s Renaissance party, praised Attal, whom he said was “a bit like the Macron of 2017,” referring to the moment when the president first took office as the youngest leader in France’s fashion history, once a popular figure among voters.
Attal “is clear, he has authority”, Vignal said.
The reshuffle will most likely accentuate the race in Macron’s camp to succeed him in the next presidential election in 2027, with former Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, Interior Minister Gérard Darmanin and Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire all considered as possible candidates, along with Attal.
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