Emmanuel Macron’s decision to appoint the youthful Gabriel Attal as France’s new prime minister represents a double first in the country’s history. At 34, Mr Attal will be the youngest politician ever to hold the office. Upliftingly, he will also be the first openly gay occupant of the Matignon. In his book, Revolution, written prior to his first presidential campaign, Mr Macron wrote: “What keeps France united is the acceptance of the diversity of origins and destinies and the refusal of fatalism.” As the final phase of the two‑term Macron presidency begins, Mr Attal is a choice designed to re-evoke the optimism and hopes for democratic renewal present at its outset.
More narrowly, Mr Macron’s move to replace Élisabeth Borne after only 20 months in office constitutes a political throw of the dice, ahead of European elections in June. These promise to be a torrid affair for the president’s centrist Renaissance (RE) party. Marine Le Pen’s radical right Rassemblement enjoys up to a 10-point lead in polls, and following the 2022 elections – at which RE lost its majority – has made hay in the national assembly. In stark contrast to his predecessor, the telegenic Mr Attal has won a deserved reputation as a skilled communicator and enjoys stellar personal poll ratings. Usefully, his age also puts him in the same generational cohort as Rassemblement’s 28-year-old president, Jordan Bardella.
