PARIS, FRANCE – DECEMBER 20: French Education Minister Gabriel Attal during the weekly cabinet meeting at the presidential Elysee Palace on December 20 2023 in Paris, France. (Photo by Christian Liewig – Corbis/Getty Images)
Christian Liewig – Corbis | Corbis News | Getty Images
French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday named Gabriel Attal as the country’s new prime minister, as he seeks to set a fresh course ahead of the summer’s European Union elections.
Attal, the current education minister, will become the youngest person to occupy France’s second-highest office at 34 years old. The news was reported by broadcaster BFM and later posted on social media by Macron’s political party.
It follows the apparently reluctant resignation of Elisabeth Borne on Monday afternoon, who said in a letter that she had been informed it was Macron’s wish. Borne said it was “more necessary than ever to continue the reforms” being carried out by the government.
In France, the prime minister leads the government and is appointed by, but cannot be directly dismissed by, the president.
Macron and Borne struggled through a turbulent 2023, with the government narrowly avoiding being toppled amid lawmaker and public opposition to its move to raise the retirement age.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated shortly.
