France : Gabriel Attal, a young prime minister to the rescue

On Tuesday 9 January, Gabriel Attal was appointed Prime Minister by Emmanuel Macron and is expected to form his government in the next few days. He succeeds Élisabeth Borne, who in the space of two years was responsible for the pension reform and the more recent and no less unpopular immigration law. Gabriel Attal, 34, leaves the Ministry of Education, where he stayed for just 6 months, to become the youngest prime minister of the Fifth Republic, appointed by its youngest president. The man who is often presented as Emmanuel Macron’s double has accepted the onerous task of relaunching this second five-year term with a relative presidential majority, beset by internal divisions to boot. The European elections next June and the threat of a far-right victory will be one of the many challenges awaiting him.

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