Macron appoints Gabriel Attal (34) as the new French Prime Minister. A cable accident in Austria leaves four seriously injured

French President Emmanuel Macron has appointed 34-year-old former Education Minister Gabriel Attal as the new Prime Minister. The Elysée Palace announced this on Tuesday. Earlier, the centrist government of Elisabeth Borne resigned on Monday evening.

Macron wants to reorganize the government after the recent difficulties in passing the immigration law. The European elections are just around the corner this spring, and in the summer France will host the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Attal is one political whiz kid, who was known to the French as a government spokesperson. Most recently he headed the Ministry of Education. Now, at the age of 34, he becomes the youngest prime minister in recent French history. Attal is considered quite popular and has a reputation for being able to discuss the issue with representatives of other political camps. In terms of type, Macron could also fit Attal better than Borne: Attal’s dynamic character and his steep career remind observers of the president.

In France, the prime minister has a role subordinate to the president. The French head of state has important powers comparable to those of the American president; some speak of a ‘presidential monarchy’. The president, who is directly elected every five years, determines the main lines of domestic and foreign policy, which the prime minister and the government usually follow.

For Macron, Attal’s appointment and the associated cabinet reshuffle mean a flight forward. Since the 2022 parliamentary elections, his camp no longer has an absolute majority in the National Assembly and depends on votes from the opposition. Macron ultimately pushed through the highly controversial pension reform last year without a final vote in Parliament.

When it came to the new immigration law, the government made such huge concessions to conservative Republicans in December that MPs from their own ranks voted against it and the camp was in danger of collapsing.

At this point, a minimum level of stability is important for Macron, as he faces major challenges in the coming months. Marine Le Pen’s right-wing nationalists threaten to significantly overtake his forces in the European elections. In addition, the major event of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris wants to be organized in the summer, where France wants to show its best side. Attal’s government team is expected to be presented in the coming days.

No decision had yet been made on the composition of the future government on Tuesday. However, it was expected that Macron would stick with a number of heavyweights from the previous cabinet and would only make changes to individual positions. The government reshuffle, including Attal’s appointment, is unlikely to have any impact on France’s actions at the European level, nor on relations with Germany. The president ultimately determines the course of French domestic and foreign policy, which the prime minister and government generally follow.

During the transfer of office on Tuesday, Attal was able to see what responsibility now rests on him. The usually relaxed politician initially seemed tense. In the unusually cold Paris, his speech manuscript wobbled – whether due to cold, wind or excitement was unclear. In his speech he addressed not only the opposition but also the people and assured them of every second of his time. “Because there is nothing more beautiful, nothing stronger, nothing greater than France and serving the French.” As if addressing himself, the new Prime Minister wrote about X: “To work in the service of France with strength, humility and without taboos.” (rbu/sda/dpa)