On January 9, 2024, French President Emmanuel Macron appointed Gabriel Attal, the country's new Prime Minister, who had previously served as Minister of Education.

Attal, 34, became the youngest head of government in the history of the Fifth Republic and the first openly gay man to hold the position. His appointment is seen as a signal that Macron is preparing his successor for the 2025 presidential election.

 

Attal was born in 1989 to Yves Attal, a lawyer and film producer, and Marie de Couriss, a film studio worker in the Paris suburbs. According to French media, Attal’s mother comes from an Orthodox family of Greek origin from Odesa. Gabriel Attal received an excellent upbringing. After graduating from a private school, he studied at the prestigious Parisian university Science Po and, before graduating, became the youngest advisor and speechwriter to then Health Minister Marisol Touraine.

 

Like Macron, Attal is a former socialist. In 2017, he left the Socialists and joined Macron’s “Forward!” movement. Before being appointed prime minister, he had already held several positions in the government – despite being only 34 years old. Attal’s rapid political career is admired and envied by his peers. He is considered a close confidant of the President and his leading voice in the media.

 

Attal is in a relationship with Stéphane Séjourne, the leader of the liberal Renaissance Party in the European Parliament, making him the first openly gay French prime minister. He does not hide his sexual orientation and supports the rights of the LGBT community. In 2018, he stated that he was a victim of bullying at school because of his homosexuality.

 

Attal has made a name for himself as Minister of Education with initiatives that could have come from the right-wing political camp. At the beginning of the school year, he called for a ban on the so-called abaya, a long-sleeved dress often worn by Muslim women. The issue sparked outrage and was discussed in the media for weeks. Attal also supported a law passed in December that restricts migrants’ right to asylum and increases fines for illegal residence. The law was protested by Health Minister Aurélien Rousseau, who resigned.

 

According to polls, Attal is one of the most popular politicians in France. He is very influential on social media, where he shares his personal life and hobbies. Attal does not hide his ambitions and desire to become President of France after Macron. He has already announced that he will run in the 2025 elections if Macron does not run for a second term. His rivals could include opposition leaders such as Marine Le Pen, Jean-Luc Melenchon, and Xavier Bertrand.

 

Gabriel Attal is a symbol of a new political generation in France that wants to change the old rules of the game and bring freshness and dynamism to the country. His appointment as Prime Minister is a historic step for France.