A new wind in French politics

Choosing Mr. Gabriel Attal as Prime Minister will be a breath of fresh air in French politics, bringing "a year of rebirth and pride" to France.

Tân Thủ tướng Pháp Gabriel Attal. (Nguồn: AFP)

New French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal. (Source: AFP)

In a rather surprising development on January 9, French President Emmanuel Macron chose Mr. Gabriel Attal, 34 years old, the youngest of his close allies, as Prime Minister, replacing Ms. Elisabeth Borne who resigned the day before.

The list of people being considered by President Macron includes heavyweights such as Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu, Mr. Julien Denormandie, who was a minister during Mr. Macron's first term, and Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire.

Observers say that Mr. Macron's goal is to find a prime minister capable of uniting the majority, which has been heavily divided in recent times due to the passage of new immigration laws, as well as being able to form alliances with other parties, because President Macron's faction only holds a relative majority in the House of Representatives.

With such a goal, the choice of Mr. Gabriel Attal, a young minister who is the most popular in 2023, with a sharp mind, is considered "understandable and reasonable". President Macron wrote on social network X expressing his belief in the enthusiasm and dynamism of the new Prime Minister Attal, who will help him "restructure" France in all areas.

Previously, in the program "C à Vous" on France 5 channel on December 20, 2023, Mr. Macron praised the young politician Attal who "worked with him from the beginning", a person "full of energy, brave enough to continue the fight with further ambitions".

Prime Minister Gabriel Attal de Couriss comes from a wealthy Paris family, the son of a Tunisian-Jewish lawyer and film producer. He attended the École Alsacienne, a private school for the children of prominent political and artistic families in Paris. After graduating from high school, he attended the prestigious Sciences Po University, where he earned a master's degree in Public Relations. He also studied law at the University of Paris II.

He has made rapid progress in his career. Starting out as an employee of the Ministry of Health at the age of 23, after only 10 years, he became Prime Minister, the second highest position in France, after the President. He was elected to the French National Assembly in 2017 and a year later, joined the cabinet as Secretary of State in charge of youth affairs. At that time, Secretary of State Attal was also the youngest member of the government since the beginning of the Fifth Republic of France.

New Prime Minister Attal served as government spokesman from 2020 to 2022. This position helped him become familiar with the public and understand the aspirations and thoughts of young people. He then served as Budget Minister and Education Minister from July 2023 before becoming Prime Minister on January 9.

Mr. Attal's political ideas were sparked when he participated in protests against far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen in the second round of the 2002 French presidential election. He then joined the Socialist Party in 2006 and supported presidential candidate Ségolène Royal in the 2007 election. With foresight, the young Attal rose rapidly after leaving the Socialist Party in 2016 to support Emmanuel Macron's presidential campaign in 2017.

The Guardian commented that Prime Minister Attal stands out because he is always ready to speak out in public on any issue. His outstanding communication skills as well as sharp thinking help him always have impressive answers in public and in parliament. When he was an employee of the Ministry of Health, Minister Marisol Touraine commented, "Attal will have a great career and a bright future."

Supporters of the current President have every reason to hope that Mr. Macron's choice will be a breath of fresh air in French politics, bringing "a year of rebirth and pride" to France, as the Elysee Palace owner's New Year message said.

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