TEMPO.CO, Paris - Gabriel Attal promised to be bold and act fast to help the middle class after President Emmanuel Macron sought to breathe new life into his second term, on Tuesday, Jan. 9, making him France's youngest-ever prime minister.
The appointment of Attal, 34, a popular and media-savvy rising star of French politics, signals a desire by Macron to move beyond divisive reforms and improve his centrist party's chances in the European Parliament elections in June.
"Dear @GabrielAttal, I know I can count on your energy and your commitment to implement the project of revitalization and regeneration that I announced," Macron wrote on social media after appointing Attal, a close ally and former minister and government spokesman.
Widespread public discontent over surging living costs and last year's contested pension reform have seriously hit Macron's ratings, and his chances in the EU ballot, where his party trails badly behind Marine Le Pen's far-right.
"I'm well aware of the context in which I take on this job," Attal said.
"Too many French doubt our country, doubt themselves or our future. I think in particular of the middle class ... who get up every morning to go to work ... and sometimes can't make ends meet," he said, promising to work to "control our destiny and free up France's potential".
Shorn of a working majority in parliament, Macron has battled to push through his second-term reform agenda and is now set to focus on more consensual objectives such as aiming to reach full employment.
Attal has polled as one of France's most popular politicians in recent months. A Macron loyalist, he became a household name as a government spokesman during the COVID pandemic and earned a reputation as a smooth communicator.
Macron, 46, and Attal have a combined age just below that of Joe Biden, who is running for a second term in this year's U.S. presidential election.
"The youngest president in (France's) history is appointing the youngest prime minister in (France's) history. I want to see it as a symbol of audacity," said Attal, who is also the country's first openly gay prime minister.
REUTERS
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