Twenty-four hours after his appointment as Prime Minister, Gabriel Attal must now form his future government and get to work to meet the challenges that await him, and embody the new lease of life desired by the Head of State Emmanuel Macron. Gabriel Attal has already started, this Tuesday, December 9, by visiting those affected by the floods in Pas-de-Calais. An express visit and a busy first day for the youngest Prime Minister in the history of the Republic.
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“ You passed, that’s good, but things have to move, and not in three weeks »: this sentence, pronounced by the manager of the Clairmarais tobacco bar, near Saint-Omer, in the north of France, sums up the spirit of what now awaits the new resident of the Matignon hotel.
Between a first meeting with Emmanuel Macron, at breakfast time at the Élysée, and a second, upon returning from his trip, at dinner time, Gabriel Attal was appointed Prime Minister, mid -day, after spending part of the morning in videoconference, with principals and principals of the establishment. In the process, the first image is symbolic. Gabriel Attal leaves the Ministry of National Education, which he had joined less than six months ago, and goes, on foot, to his new home, the Hôtel de Matignon where Elisabeth Borne was waiting for him on the steps, to the traditional transfer of power.
The two speak informally to each other. The emotion is contained, but it is indeed a passing of witnesses that we are witnessing, between Élisabeth Borne, 62 years old, worn out by twenty months of relative majority, but who accepts her assessment by saying she never trembled. And Gabriel Attal, 34 years old“ youngest prime minister, appointed by youngest president », in his own words, a little trembling when reading his speech. In the process, Gabriel Attal therefore went to the victims in Pas-de-Calais. The first image shown is that of a Prime Minister who claims to act quickly and go to meet the French people who are suffering.
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Move quickly to form a government
This government will perhaps be announced before the weekend. The Council of Ministers, scheduled for this Wednesday, has, in any case, been postponed sine die. And the task is not simple, especially when you have to deal with the different components of a very relative majority. And heavy weights, not necessarily delighted with his appointmentwith party leaders like François Bayrou and Édouard Philippe, who intend to have as many ministers from their ranks as possible, explains Eric Chaurin from the RFI political department. Will government be tightened, a wishful thinking rarely fulfilled? Is this the objective that we attribute to them, with ministries with broader scope, like the Ministry of Finance organized around Bruno Le Maire?
Even before the government, an appointment seems certain: that of Frédéric Moulin, to the key position of chief of staff to Gabriel Attal. The current director of the Treasury is close both to Bruno Le Maire, and to the influential secretary general of the Élysée, Alexis Kohler, never far from the president.
For ministers, it is obviously more vague. Gérald Darmanin seems assured of remaining at the Interior where “ he did not complete his mission “. This is what he confided yesterday, his office taking charge of sending the message that it was acquired, after the evening interview between Gabriel Attal and Emmanuel Macron.
On the other hand, those who expressed their discomfort after the adoption of the Immigration law could pay the price of a major cleaning, starting with the Minister of Transport, Clément Beaune. We will also have to think about parity and find women, after the departure of Élisabeth Borne, and the inevitable departure ofAgnès Firmin The Bodo to Health.
Give new impetus to the five-year term
Once the government has been formed, Gabriel Attal will have to tackle the task and give new impetus to Emmanuel Macron’s five-year term. And the files awaiting him are numerous. There are obviously the unmissable events of this year 2024, in particular the Olympic Games in Paris this summer, with its security and transport challenges. Just before, a very political deadline awaits Gabriel Attal, with the European elections. This will be a very difficult milestone to overcome, facing a National Rally that is a big favorite in the polls. Will his very political profile, his media potential, his popularity and his youth help him against Jordan Bardella? This is also why Emmanuel Macron chose him.
After his too rapid transition to National Educationto be concrete, Gabriel Attal will also be at the school, “ mother of battles “, he said, and on the project of “ regeneration and rearmament » civic in particular, displayed by the president.
One of the other big projects is full employment. It is the obsession of Emmanuel Macron who wants to move forward in this area while unemployment figures were on the rise again in 2023.
We must not forget the sometimes impossible equation: finding majorities in Parliament and particularly in the National Assembly, where the year 2023 ended in chaos.