At 34, Gabriel Attal became the youngest Prime Minister of the Fifth Republic. The resignation of Élisabeth Borne, Monday January 8, had in fact launched speculation about the name of her replacement. But the hypothesis Attal, outgoing Minister of Education, quickly gained the upper hand over the others.
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With Gabriel Attal at the head of the new government, a new page is opening in this second five-year term of Emmanuel Macron. The President of the Republic therefore made the choice of youth and popularity, since the outgoing Minister of Education had enjoyed, for several weeks, a good popularity rating, ahead, according to a poll Ipsos-Le Point in mid-December, former Prime Minister Édouard Philippe.
Dear @GabrielAttal, I know I can count on your energy and your commitment to implement the rearmament and regeneration project that I announced. In fidelity to the spirit of 2017: surpassing and audacity. In the service of the Nation and the French.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) January 9, 2024
This new Prime Minister will therefore have to form a government, establish himself in the majority and in the face of opposition. He will also have to lead the battle in the European elections against Jordan Bardella, who leads the National Rally (RN) list and enjoys a large lead in the polls. All this in the shadow of Emmanuel Macron.
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Gabriel Attal, the favorite
The name of Gabriel Attal has been circulating insistently in recent hours. Very close to President Emmanuel Macron, he had indeed chosen to take the LREM turn in 2017 and became a deputy in the National Assembly that same year.
In 2018, he entered the government at the age of 29, becoming Secretary of State to the Minister of National Education and Youth in the second team of Prime Minister Édouard Philippe. Between 2020 and 2022, he takes the position of spokesperson for the Jean Castex government. Since the summer of 2023, he has held the position of Minister of National Education after a short stint in this same role as Pap Ndiaye, considered too discreet.
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However, he began his political career in the Socialist Party by supporting the candidacy of Ségolène Royal in the 2007 presidential election. Close to Dominique Strauss-Kahn, he finally followed François Hollande and entered a ministerial cabinet of Marisol Touraine in 2012 .
Resignation of Borne, start of reshuffle
Elisabeth Borne remained, Monday January 8, for almost an hour at the presidential palace. Entering through the main gate, she discreetly left via the Rue de l’Élysée, marking the end of a twenty-month sequence. After long hesitation, Emmanuel Macron ended up deciding and asking Élisabeth Borne to leave her position.
She had done everything to stay in Matignon despite the difficulties linked to the relative majority obtained in the 2022 legislative elections to the National Assembly and the adversity sometimes within the government itself with these ministers who challenged her authority, Gérald Darmanin or Bruno Le Mayor and a president not always supportive.
This reshuffle had been expected for several days due to the words spoken by the President of the Republic during his wishes on December 31. He had in fact given “ meet the nation » during his traditional televised New Year’s Eve address, followed by the cancellation of the traditional Council of Ministers on Wednesday January 3, 2024.
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