Attal becomes France's youngest prime minister and first openly gay leader

(Patria) - France on Tuesday got its youngest prime minister ever and its first openly gay one.

Gabriel Attal (34), rose to prominence as government spokesman, then education minister and was the most popular minister in the outgoing government, AP reported.

His predecessor Elisabeth Borne resigned on Monday following political turmoil over an immigration law that strengthens the government's ability to deport foreigners.

Macron will work with Attal to appoint a new government, and some key ministers are expected to stay.

“I know I can count on your energy and your commitment,” Macron posted on X in a message to Attal. The president referred to Attal reviving “the spirit of 2017,” when Macron shook up politics and surprisingly won as France's youngest ever president on a pro-business platform aiming to revive one of the world's largest economies.

During the handover ceremony, Attal said: “I could read and hear: the youngest president of the Republic in history appoints the youngest prime minister in history. I only want to see it as a symbol of audacity and movement. It is also, and perhaps above all, a symbol of trust in young people.”

Attal said his goals include making security an “absolute priority” and promoting the values of “authority and respect for others.”

He promised to strengthen public services, including schools and the health system, and to advocate for “better control of immigration.” Macron (46) has shifted to the right on security and migration issues since his election, as far-right rival Marine Le Pen and her anti-immigration, anti-Islam party have gained strength.

Opposition criticism

Critics from both the left and the right have targeted Attal for his limited experience,
his Parisian upbringing considered disconnected from people struggling in the provinces, and his loyalty to the president.

Le Pen posted on X: “What can the French expect from this 4th prime minister and 5th government in seven years (under Macron)? Nothing.”

Eric Ciotti, the leader of the conservative Republicans, said: “France urgently needs action: it needs a different approach.” We will remain “a responsible opposition” to the centrist government, he added.

The founder of the hard-left La France Insoumise party, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, writing on X, mocked Attal for “returning to his role as spokesman. The prime minister's function is disappearing. Only the presidential monarch governs his court.”

Attal, a former member of the Socialist Party, joined Macron's newly formed political movement in 2016 and served as spokesman from 2020 to 2022, a job that made him known to the French public. He was then appointed budget minister before being named education minister in July, one of the most prestigious positions in the government.

Attal quickly announced a ban on long robes in classrooms that took effect with the new school year in September, saying the attire, mostly worn by Muslims, tested secularism in schools. He also launched a plan to experiment with uniforms in some public schools, as part of an effort to shift focus away from clothing and reduce school violence.

Attal recently described on national television TF1 how he suffered bullying in middle school, including homophobic harassment.