By Emmanuel Nduka
After days of speculation, French President Emmanuel Macron late Monday accepted the resignation of Elisabeth Borne, 62, who stepped down along with the rest of the government after serving less than two years in office.
This has now paved way for 34-year-old Education Minister Gabriel Attal to be named French Prime Minister.
Macron said the appointment of Attal was in a bid to give new momentum to his presidency, with the new PM being the first openly gay head of government, a source close to the presidency told AFP.
The overhaul comes ahead of the Olympic Games in Paris and European parliament elections this summer where Macron’s centrist forces risk defeat at the hands of the far-right under Marine Le Pen.
Also, a wider cabinet reshuffle is expected this week as Macron seeks to sharpen his team for the final three years of his presidency.
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“The president of the republic appointed Mr Gabriel Attal prime minister, and tasked him with forming a government,” a presidential statement said.
Attal is expected to to bring a major change of style to the office of the prime minister following Borne, only the second woman to lead the French government.
Her austere and no-nonsense demeanour won respect from colleagues but not necessarily popularity from the public, whereas Attal is the most popular figure in government after his stint at the politically crucial education ministry.
The appointment of Attal had been expected after Borne’s resignation on Monday and the absence of the swift announcement fuelled talk that heavy-weight government figures were unhappy over Attal’s meteoric promotion.
But sources close to those said to be behind the tensions, including Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin and Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, vehemently denied this.
The new PM will be the fourth since 2017 under Macron, who critics accuse of micro-managing and centralising power.
