After Elisabeth Borne resigned as prime minister, 34-year-old Gabriel Attali is considered her most likely successor.
In France, a 34-year-old minister of education Gabriel Attalia is considered the early favorite to be the country’s next prime minister.
If appointed, Attalia would become France’s youngest ever prime minister and the first openly gay prime minister.
In France, the president appoints the prime minister.
According to the country’s constitution, the prime minister’s primary task is to lead the day-to-day work of his government. However, the president decides on the broad guidelines of the government and the country’s foreign policy.
In practice, the arrangement means that in France the country’s prime minister is often the first in the line of fire when the president’s policies run into trouble.
Appointment delayed
President Emmanuel Macron a new prime minister was expected to be appointed early on Tuesday, but so far no announcement has been made.
It is not known whether the delay is intentional or whether some members of the board have opposed Attali’s appointment, the French news agency AFP reported.
In addition to Attali, other possible candidates for prime minister are the 37-year-old defense minister Sebastien Lecornu and a 43-year-old former minister of agriculture Julien Denormandie.
However, according to an anonymous official source interviewed by AFP, Attal is the clear favorite.
Attalia has been characterized in the French media as a more colorful figure than the now retired prime minister Elisabeth Borneo and he has repeatedly been one of the government’s most popular ministers in opinion polls.
It is estimated that Macron will reshuffle his government so that his second presidential term, which has been driven against the wind, will get more leverage.
Source: AFP, Reuters