Gabriel Attal was appointed as the youngest-ever Prime Minister of France by the French President Emmanuel Macron on January 9, 2024. He is 34 years old. Laurent Fabius was the earlier youngest prime minster, who was appointed by Francois Mitterrand in 1984, at the age of 37. Attal has replaced Elisabeth Borne, the sitting prime minister, who had resigned after 20 months of assuming office. Elisabeth Borne could not continue with her term in the office as she struggled with a lack of majority in the French Parliament. Gabriel Attal was the education minister in her cabinet. He has now been tasked with leading the French government in the crucial European Union Parliament elections in June 2024.
Further, he is the first openly gay person to hold the office in France. Though baptised as a member of the Russian Orthodox Christian Church, Attal considers himself an atheist.
Early Life and Career
Gabriel Nissim Attal de Couriss was born on March 16, 1989, in Clamart, France. His father, Yves Attal, was a lawyer and film producer of Tunisian Jewish films who died in 2015. His mother, Marie de Couriss, is an Orthodox Christian from Odesa, Ukraine. Attal grew up in Paris with his three younger sisters. He has studied law at Pantheon-Assas University from 2008 to 2011. He secured his masters degree in Public Affairs from Sciences Po in 2012. He participated in the youth protests in France, in 2006, against a measure set to deregulate labour and, thus, started his political career. Young people were the primary participants in the protests as the bill would have directly affected their future jobs in a way that they considered negative. In 2007, Attal created a committee in support of Ingrid Betancourt, the Franco-Colombian hostage, held by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia—People’s Army.
He campaigned for Marisol Touraine during the 2012 presidential campaign and worked as an advisor to the Minister of Health. He was involved in parliamentary liaison and speech writing.
In 2016, he joined Emmanuel Macron’s Presidential bid. During the early years of Macron’s presidency, Attal was one among the well-educated youth chosen to counsel and support Emmanuel Macron. He stood out from the crowd for his eagerness to speak out in public on important topics. Further, he has remarkable communication skills and the ability to think and speak on his feet while countering questions in the French Parliament and in public.
It is considered that President Emmanuel Macron, is seeking a fresh start for the rest of his term, ahead of the European Union Parliament elections in June, where his ratings have been trailing. In 2022, Macron was re-elected as French President; however, his government lost the parliamentary majority in the same year. In 2023, Macron’s decision to bring about the pension reform bill, which proposed to raise the retirement age to 64 years without a vote, infuriated opposition leaders and triggered violent unrest. His decision on new immigration law, too, was not welcomed by the opposition and this has deepened the rift in the centrist coalition which is headed by Macron. Getting initiatives through parliament has been a major difficulty for his government during Elisabeth Borne’s term as prime minister. The ruling coalition has been fractured, with the passage of the migration bill. He was heavily condemned by the left party allies. To save his face, Macron has appointed Attal as the prime minister, as Attal is appreciated by the opposition parties too.
First Elected to the French Parliament
He was elected to the French Parliament in 2017. In the same year, he was appointed as a rapporteur, (a person who is appointed by an organisation to report on the proceedings of its meetings), on a bill on access to higher education. In January 2018, Attal was named the chairperson of La Republique En Marchel (LREM), which is currently known as Renaissance (RE) party. In September 2018, he stood as a candidate as the president of LREM; however, withdrew his candidature later on.
In October 2018, he was appointed as the junior minister to the Minister of National Education and Youth, Jean-Michel Blanquer. This made him the youngest minister ever in the Fifth Republic, which came into being in October 1958. His responsibilities included youth issues and setting up universal national service.
He served as the spokesperson of the government from 2020 to 2022 under the prime minister, Jean Castex. This made him a popular figure among the people of France. In May 2022, Attal became the Minister of Public Action and Accounts in the government of Elisabeth Borne. During the French government reshuffle in July 2023, Attal was appointed as the Minister of National Education and Youth. As education minister, Attal put a ban on the abayas, the long loose-fitting garment from being worn in the public schools, under the principle of secularism. Based on the principle of secularism observed in France, a law was in place since 2004, which stated that the wearing of signs or outfits by which students ostensibly show a religious affiliation is prohibited. However, the law did not mention the particular items of the clothing. Attal in a news conference stated that the schools in France are put under test and there have been breaches to secularism, in particular, with students wearing religious attires like abayas.
Powers and Expectations
Attal’s appointment is not expected to bring about much of a change in the political system of France as the President is the one with greater powers in France. The prime minister only has the charge of implementing domestic policies and ensuring coordination among various ministries. It is definitely significant for the LGBT community representation.
According to political analysts, Attal might have a tough time taking along with his much senior cabinet colleagues. Some analysts further opine that Attal’s personal popularity and energy could bring about better ratings for Emmanuel Macron. As Attal is a popular politician in France, it is speculated that he would be a potential contender in the 2027 presidential election as a successor to Macron.
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