Gabriel Attal, the French Education Minister, was appointed as the new Prime Minister of France on Tuesday, succeeding Elisabeth Borne, who submitted her government’s resignation on Monday.
In a statement from the Élysée Palace, French President Emmanuel Macron tasked the popular Attal with forming the government following Borne’s resignation after a 20-month tenure.
At 34, Attal becomes the youngest Prime Minister of the Fifth Republic, breaking the record previously held by socialist Laurent Fabius, who was appointed at 37 in 1984.
The announcement of the new Prime Minister was postponed from Monday evening to Tuesday morning, sparking internal opposition speculations, especially from key government figures like Gérald Darmanin and Bruno Le Maire, both of whom denied these claims.
With three years left in his term, Macron seeks new momentum facing the rise of the nationalist right and the lack of an absolute majority in the National Assembly.
Borne, who has been in office since May 2022, successfully passed challenging laws such as the controversial pension reform last spring and the immigration law in December, surviving about thirty motions of no confidence.
The President thanked Borne, 62, the second woman to hold the position in France’s history, for her “exemplary” service to the nation.
Attal, a favorite among the French since his appointment to the Ministry of National Education six months ago, is expected to bring new impetus to Macron’s second five-year term.
Other names considered were Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu (37), a close ally of Macron from the right, and former Agriculture Minister Julien Denormandie (43), also a staunch Macron supporter.
The upcoming Prime Minister’s mandate will focus on “rearmament,” a strategy Macron advocated in his New Year’s message, emphasizing “industrial, economic, European, and civic” rearmament, including the educational system reform led by Attal since summer.
Constitutional expert Benjamin Morel sees this choice as a “very bold strategy ahead of the European elections,” where the far-right is expected to make gains in France.
Political analyst Bruno Cautrès views Attal as embodying “youth and ambition, somewhat reminiscent of Macron’s early background,” though his appointment “won’t solve the majority problem.”
Facing increasing discontent since his re-election in 2022, Macron, who cannot run again in 2027, faces the critical challenge of preventing far-right leader Marine Le Pen, whom he defeated in the last presidential election run-off, from succeeding him.
Attal, initially a supporter of prominent leftist figure Dominique Strauss-Kahn, joined Macron early when he founded his “En Marche!” party in 2016, leading to the Élysée.
Having started as a junior minister for Youth Affairs, Attal quickly climbed the government ladder from government spokesperson to Minister of Budget and then National Education in July.
In his role, he successfully garnered support from senior citizens, a core group of Macron’s supporters, with positions favoring a uniform dress code or banning the burqa in schools.
In France, while the President traditionally sets the overall policy direction, the Prime Minister, responsible for the day-to-day administration, generally bears the brunt of any upheaval.
However, Macron’s opponents continuously accuse him of centralizing power and meddling in administrative details.
Leftist European candidate Raphael Glucksmann jokingly stated on public television, “The Prime Minister will be Emmanuel Macron.”
