France's president, Emmanuel Macron, appointed Gabriel Attal as Prime Minister on Tuesday, becoming the 34-year-old the country's youngest and first out homosexual head of government, news agency AFP reported. The move will not necessarily result in a huge political change, but it indicates Macron's willingness to move beyond last year's unpopular pension and immigration measures in order to strengthen his centrist party's chances in the June EU referendum.
Attal's ascend to PM comes after Elisabeth Borne resigned from her position. Borne was in government for less than two years before resigning ahead of a widely anticipated cabinet change.
"The president of the republic appointed Mr Gabriel Attal prime minister, and tasked him with forming a government," a presidential statement was quoted by AFP in its report.
Sylvain Maillard, the leader of Macron's Renaissance party, commended Gabriel Attal on X, stating: "I am sure that you will be able to faithfully carry out our project and embody the values that are ours."
Who Is Gabriel Attal?
Gabriel Attal is a close associate of Emmanuel Macron who served as the government spokesman during the Covid epidemic. In recent opinion surveys, he is one of the country's most popular politicians, and he has created a name for himself as a wise minister, easy on radio shows as well as in parliament.
He will be France's youngest prime minister and the first to be out homosexual, according to France MP Patrick Vignal, who added that "Gabriel Attal is a bit like the Macron of 2017" since when the French president entered office, he was the youngest leader in modern French history.
Attal, Gabriel "It's clear, he has authority," stated the MP.