Education Minister Gabriel Attal appointed France's new prime minister

ANKARA

France’s president on Tuesday named the country’s education and youth minister the new premier, moving quickly to fill the just-vacated post.

"The President of the Republic appointed Gabriel Attal as prime minister and put him in charge of forming a new government," a statement issued by the presidency read.

President Emmanuel Macron wrote a post on X congratulating Attal and expressing trust in him.

Former presidential candidate and far-right Macron rival Marine Le Pen derided the appointment, writing on X: "What can the French people hope from this 4th prime minister and the 5th government in seven years? Nothing."

Left-wing politicians including Olivier Faure and Jean-Luc Melenchon were also critical, saying that Macron was "succeeding himself." Attal has been dubbed a “mini-Macron.”

Mathilde Panot from the left-wing party LFI earlier described Attal as "Macron Junior, expert in arrogance."

Recent days have seen expectations that Macron will reshuffle his Cabinet.

Following Elisabeth Borne's Monday resignation as premier, perhaps the first step in a reshuffle, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said he wants to remain at his post at least until this summer’s Paris Olympic Games.

"I am a man of honor and duty … and I love to finish the work started," he told reporters in Paris, signaling that he wants to keep his post in the new Cabinet, according to daily Le Figaro.

After Borne's resignation on Monday, Macron posted a message on X thanking her for her "exemplary" service to the French nation.

Borne was appointed prime minister in May 2022, and her departure comes in the wake of the passage of a hardline immigration bill late last year.

She had faced criticism for constitutionally bypassing a parliamentary vote when majority support was absent, including controversial pension reforms in the first half of 2023.

Born in 1989, the nation’s new premier previously served as government spokesperson and minister of public accounts. At age 34, Attal will reportedly be one of the world’s youngest heads of government, and possibly the youngest.