The youth of the character chosen to replace Elizabeth Bourne indicates the renewal of Emmanuel Macron's party. His critics doubt his ability, do not question his lack of experience, and believe that the right controls the party.
At just 34 years old, he has a complete political biography: initially a member of the French Socialist Party, he was elected Chancellor of Vanve in 2014, after being a member of the government of the Minister of Social Security from 2012 to 2017. In 2017, he was elected as a deputy for the Party “Forward!”, by Emmanuel Macron, he was his official spokesman in 2018 and a member of the Executive Committee since July 2021. On October 16, 2018, he was appointed Secretary of State in the Ministry of Education. The youth of Edouard Philippe's government, after he became the youngest member of the government of the Fifth French Republic. He was also spokesman for Jean Castex's government from 2020 to 2022, until he was appointed on May 20, 2022 as Minister of Public Accounts in Elisabeth Bourne's government – who at the beginning of the week no longer deserved Emmanuel Macron's trust. . He was re-elected as a deputy in June 2022, and a year later he was promoted to the position of Minister of National Education and Youth. He is apparently the youngest Prime Minister of the Fifth Republic, his name is Gabriel Attal, and if the French press is to be believed, this is a big surprise.
And also given his age: with his appointment as prime minister – a position for which many commentators say he cannot prepare, no matter how young he is – Macron seems to want to keep all the power in his hands. The second legislative council will not go as Macron expected, and difficult issues have accumulated, which has led to a decline in the popularity of the president – who, as we remember, is the real head of the French government. First was the issue of raising the retirement age – a serious issue in France, where society is completely opposed to increasing the number of years necessary to accumulate before workers have the right to full retirement. Reform, which has always been part of Macron's programme, is considered essential for the sustainability of social security, but the difficulties in pushing through legislation clearly show how divisive this issue is in French society.
Then came the reform of the conditions for accepting new immigration candidates. The new law is so restrictive that even the far-right led by Marine Le Pen had no problem adding its votes to the En Marche! But Macron did not escape suffering a real barrage of criticism from the left. In the middle is the basis of his political position. The current president will not be able to run for president again, but his political future is still unknown. It is clear to all French analysts that Macron has a dream that would take him beyond the borders of Gaul – but if that dream seemed easy to achieve at the end of his first term, things have become much more difficult since then. Internal problems prevented him from maintaining his focus on foreign policy – unlike what happened in his first term – and Europe narrowed on Macron’s horizon.
The inexperience of the new prime minister is the guarantee that the government will follow his orders without any contradiction, and in the end Macron will still be able to say that he has launched a new generation into the sphere of power, thus showing signs of separation. The presidential election will only be held in 2027 – but the fact is that Macron is entering the second and final part of his term, and the simplest rules of politics dictate that he should start really thinking about his future.
The future – at least in the near future – includes achieving a good result in the European Parliament elections scheduled to be held in June. If this does not happen, the dream of leaving for Europe will be destroyed, or at least severely damaged.
“The President of the Republic appointed Mr. Gabriel Attal as Prime Minister and assigned him to form a new government,” a memorandum issued by the Elysee Palace early Tuesday afternoon said. Late Monday afternoon, former Prime Minister Elizabeth Bourne submitted her resignation letter after 20 months at the helm.
The French president had already come forward in December with the aim of restructuring his government to strengthen the party. By declaring a kind of “quiet revolution” in his year-end speech, analysts realized that the time for change had indeed arrived. “Industrial, economic and also civil renewal of France,” Macron said at the time, sparing no ambition.
But Macron said on social media that the appointment of Attal, who is openly gay, makes him “rely on his energy and commitment” to implement his “renewal” project. Macron said he believed the young prime minister might be able to make changes after implementing reforms in the education sector, despite criticism: Attal has adopted measures criticized by left-wing parties and migrant advocacy associations, such as banning abayas and jackets worn by migrants. By Muslim women in schools.
It is clear that the young politician has moved from second to second to first place in the limited group of those who could be the heirs of “Macronism” when it ceases to exist sometime in May 2027. And with Attal, according to the expensive press, is the Minister of the Interior Gerald Darmanin (' The '40-year-old old man', accused of more or less the same things by the same French left. In other words, analysts conclude that Emmanuel Macron spent the first legislature “hunting” to the left and the second to the right.
It's also worth not forgetting next summer's Olympics: Macron wants to see France return to the top of the small group of countries leading the European Union.
