Gabriel Attal has, as widely predicted, been named France’s next prime minister, as Emmanuel Macron seeks to breathe new life into his presidency with a new government.
At 34, he is the youngest Prime Minister in modern French history, that title previously belonging to Socialist Laurent Fabius who was 37 when he was appointed by François Mitterrand in 1984.
Gabriel Attal replaces Élisabeth Borne, who resigned after less than 2 years in office.
Throughout that time she struggled with a lack of a majority in parliament.
Monsieur Attal, who is currently education minister, where he took the controversial decision to ban abayas, the long robes sometimes worn by Muslim women, in schools.
In this role he worked closely with Emmanuel Macron’s wife Brigitte, a former teacher with a keen eye on the sector. The pair worked mostly on eradicating bullying in schools
He will now have the task of leading the French government into important European Parliament elections in June.
He will also be the first openly gay occupant of Hôtel Matignon.
He has been in a civil partnership with another Macron protege and former advisor, the MEP Stéphane Sejourné.
Following Macron’s 2017 election, Mr Attal became a member of parliament, and it was there that his brilliance as a debater brought him to the president’s attention.
Read also: French PM Élisabeth Borne resigns after 2 years in office
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