PARIS – Gabriel Attal, a young French politician, has been made as the country’s youngest prime minister at the age of 34.
President Emmanuel Macron picked Mr Attal for the coveted role in what he said is attempt to revitalise his second term. The new PM, who made headlines as first openly gay Prime Minister, replaced Élisabeth Borne.
Attal was serving as education minister. He first remained in news as adviser in the health ministry, later became a parliamentarian after 2017 polls. He will become a presidential candidate in the coming years, if his tenure in PM office is successful.
Despite his fame, he remains an unsound pick for French nationalist right.
The newly appointed minister said his aim is to keep control of ongoing social issues and to maintain the government’s potential to deliver.
Previously, he remained a known face as government spokesman during the Covid pandemic. A hardliner by thoughts, the new PM gained popularity by banning Muslim Abaya in state schools, appealing to conservative voters despite his leftist background.
Mr Attal joins a list of openly gay world leaders, including San Marino’s Captain Regent Paolo Rondelli, Latvia’s President Edgars Rinkēvičs, Iceland’s former PM Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir, Belgium’s ex-premier Elio Di Rupo, Luxembourg’s ex- leader Xavier Bettel and Ireland’s PM Leo Varadkar.
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