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Gabriel Attal

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Gabriel Attal
File:Valditara Attal 2023 (cropped).jpg
Attal in 2023
Prime Minister of France
Assumed office
9 January 2024
PresidentEmmanuel Macron
Preceded byÉlisabeth Borne
Minister of National Education and Youth
In office
20 July 2023 – 9 January 2024
Prime MinisterÉlisabeth Borne
Preceded byPap Ndiaye
Minister of Public Action and Accounts
In office
20 May 2022 – 20 July 2023
Prime MinisterÉlisabeth Borne
Preceded byOlivier Dussopt
Succeeded byThomas Cazenave
Spokesperson of the Government
In office
6 July 2020 – 20 May 2022
Prime MinisterJean Castex
Preceded bySibeth Ndiaye
Succeeded byOlivia Grégoire
Secretary of State to the Minister of National Education and Youth
In office
16 October 2018 – 6 July 2020
Prime MinisterÉdouard Philippe
Preceded byPosition established
Succeeded bySarah El Haïry
Spokesperson of La République En Marche!
In office
4 January 2018 – 16 October 2018
Preceded byBenjamin Griveaux
Succeeded byLaetitia Avia
Member of the National Assembly
for Hauts-de-Seine's 10th constituency
In office
21 June 2017 – 16 November 2018
Preceded byAndré Santini
Succeeded byFlorence Provendier
Personal details
Born (1989-03-16) 16 March 1989 (age 35)
Clamart, France
Political partyRenaissance (2016–present)
Other political
affiliations		Socialist Party (2006–2016)
Domestic partnerStéphane Séjourné (2015–2024[1])
EducationÉcole alsacienne
Alma materSciences Po
University of Paris 2 Panthéon-Assas
Signature

Gabriel Attal (French pronunciation: [ɡabʁijɛl atal]; born 16 March 1989) is a French politician of the Renaissance (RE) party who has been serving as prime minister of France since 9 January 2024.

After election to the French National Assembly in June 2017, he quickly rose through the political ranks, becoming a junior minister to the minister of national education and youth in 2018, Government Spokesperson in 2020, minister of public action and accounts in 2022 and minister of national education and youth in 2023.

On 9 January 2024, Attal was appointed by President Emmanuel Macron to replace Élisabeth Borne as prime minister. At the age of 34, he became the youngest and first openly gay person to hold the office in France, and the youngest serving state leader in the world. A political ally of Macron, he has been described as a potential contender for the 2027 presidential election as Macron is not eligible for a third term in office; the President of France is only allowed two five-year terms in office and Macron was elected twice in 2017 and 2022.

Early life and education

Attal was born on 16 March 1989 in Clamart, Île-de-France. He grew up in the 13th and 14th arrondissements (districts) of Paris with three sisters. His father, Yves Attal [fr], was a lawyer and film producer of half Tunisian Jewish descent (on the paternal side) and half Alsatian Jewish descent (on the maternal side). Attal's mother, Marie de Couriss, was of French and Greek-Russian ancestry, and worked as an employee of a film production company.[2][3] Attal was raised in his mother's religion of Orthodox Christianity.[1]

Attal attended a private school, the École alsacienne, in the 6th arrondissement. His political activity started when he participated in the 2006 youth protests in France.[4] Taking up a place at Sciences Po in 2007, he created a committee for the support of Íngrid Betancourt, the Franco-Colombian hostage held by the FARC.[5] He graduated from Sciences Po in 2012 with a Master of Public Affairs, having studied law at Panthéon-Assas University from 2008 to 2011, with a year (2009-2010) spent working with Éric de Chassey, director of the French Academy at Rome.[6]

Political career

National advisory and municipal

After an internship at the French National Assembly with Marisol Touraine during the 2012 presidential campaign, Attal worked for five years as an advisor to the Minister of Health, a role which involved parliamentary liaison and speechwriting.[7]

In the 2014 municipal elections, Attal was placed fifth on the Socialist Party list. He was elected as one of the four Socialist Party councilors of Vanves and took over the lead of the opposition, after the resignation of the head of the socialist list.[8]

Member of the National Assembly (2017–2018)

Attal was elected to the French National Assembly on 18 June 2017, representing the Hauts-de-Seine's 10th constituency, winning out over the designated successor of André Santini.[7][9]

Attal was quickly considered one of the most talented new members of parliament, with Amélie de Montchalin.[10] As a deputy of the National Assembly he became a member of the Committee on Cultural and Education Affairs, where he served as whip of the group La République En Marche!.[11]

In December 2017, Attal was appointed rapporteur on a bill on access to higher education.[12]

Attal was named spokesperson of La République En Marche! in January 2018[13] and in September 2018, after the election of Richard Ferrand to the presidency of the National Assembly, he ran as a candidate to succeed him as president of the group La République En Marche!, but withdrew his candidacy the day before the election when he was considered one of the three favourites.[14] He later endorsed Roland Lescure.[15]

Member of the Government (2018–2024)

On 16 October 2018, Attal was appointed Secrétaire d'État (junior minister) to the Minister of National Education and Youth Jean-Michel Blanquer. At 29, he was the youngest member of a government under the Fifth Republic, beating the previous record set by François Baroin in 1995 by a few months. He was responsible for youth issues and setting up universal national service.[10]

He was the government spokesperson under Prime Minister Jean Castex from 2020 to 2022.[16] He became Minister of Public Action and Accounts in the government of Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne in May 2022.[17]

In July 2023, Attal was appointed minister of national education and youth in the 2023 French government reshuffle.[18] At the age of 34, he became the youngest person to hold that office under the Fifth Republic.[19] In this position, he announced the ban on abayas under the "principle of secularism", extening a ban on religious symbols in French public schools that already included Christian crosses, Jewish Kippahs and Islamic veils.[20][21]

Prime minister

See also: Attal government

Following Borne's resignation as prime minister on 8 January 2024, media sources announced Attal as favourite to succeed her.[22] His appointment as Prime Minister was announced on 9 January 2024. At the age of 34, he became the youngest and first openly gay person to hold the office in France.[23]

There has been speculation in the French media that Attal could be a contender in the 2027 presidential election.[24]

Personal life

Attal previously lived in a civil union with Stéphane Séjourné, a member of the European Parliament for LREM.[25] The relationship had ended by 2024.[1] Attal said in a TV interview that he had been subjected to homophobic bullying at school.[1] In 2018, he was outed on Twitter by his former classmate Juan Branco.[26][27] He has also described being the target of homophobic and antisemitic hate speech on social media as a politician.[28]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Who is Gabriel Attal, France's new prime minister?". Politico. 9 January 2024.
  2. ^ Mathilde Siraud (1 March 2023). "Gabriel Attal, sur les traces de Macron ?". lepoint.fr (in French)..
  3. ^ Bancaud, Delphine (16 October 2018). "Qui est Gabriel Attal, le plus jeune membre d'un gouvernement de la Ve République?" [Who is Gabriel Attal, the youngest member of a government of the Fifth Republic?] (in French). 20 Minutes. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  4. ^ Laurent Telo (13 April 2018). "Du Parti socialiste à La République en marche, la mue fulgurante de Gabriel Attal" [From the Socialist Party to La République En Marche!, the dazzling transformation of Gabriel Attal]. Le Monde.fr (in French). Le Monde. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  5. ^ Jeudy, Bruno (20 August 2018). "Gabriel Attal : "Le jour où je rencontre Ingrid Betancourt"" [Gabriel Attal: "The day I meet Ingrid Betancourt"] (in French). Paris Match. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  6. ^ Baudais, Pierrick (20 December 2017). "Qui est Gabriel Attal, le futur porte-parole de la République en marche?" [Who is Gabriel Attal, the future spokesperson for the Republic on the move?] (in French). Ouest-France. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  7. ^ a b "Qui est Gabriel Attal, votre député (LREM) d'Issy-Vanves" [Who is Gabriel Attal, your deputy (LREM) of Issy-Vanves] (in French). Le Parisien. 19 June 2017. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  8. ^ Petitdemange, Amélie (16 October 2018). "Gabriel Attal: un vingtenaire débarque dans le gouvernement" [Gabriel Attal: a twenty-something arrives in the government] (in French). Les Échos. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  9. ^ "Elections législatives 2017" (in French). Ministry of the Interior. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
  10. ^ a b Lemarié, Alexandre (16 October 2018). "Gabriel Attal, Secretary of State at Blanquer" (in French). Le Monde. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  11. ^ Vigoureux, Caroline; Bertolus, Jean-Jérôme (13 September 2017). "Les whips, ces députés LREM de l'ombre au rôle stratégique" [The whips, these LREM deputies from the shadow to the strategic role] (in French). L'Opinion. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  12. ^ Stromboni, Camille; Lemarié, Alexandre (4 December 2017). "Gabriel Attal : « Il faudra être très vigilant sur la rentrée 2018 à l'université »" [Gabriel Attal: "It will be necessary to be very vigilant on the re-entry 2018 at the university"] (in French). Le Monde. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  13. ^ ""Un honneur": le député Gabriel Attal sera le porte-parole de LREM en janvier" ["An honor": the MP Gabriel Attal will be the spokesperson of LREM in January] (in French). France Info. 20 December 2017. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  14. ^ Siraud, Mathilde (18 September 2018). "Présidence du groupe LaREM à l'Assemblée : Attal et Bonnell jettent l'éponge" [Presidency of the LREM Group in the Assembly: Attal and Bonnell throw in the towel] (in French). Le Figaro. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  15. ^ Boichot, Loris (14 September 2018). "Qui sont les sept macronistes qui veulent diriger les députés LaREM après Ferrand?". Le Figaro.
  16. ^ "Gouvernement Castex en direct : Darmanin nommé ministre de l'intérieur, Dupond-Moretti garde des sceaux et Bachelot à la culture". Le Monde (in French). 6 July 2020.
  17. ^ Boiteau, Victor (20 May 2022). "Changement dans la continuité: Darmanin, Le Maire, Attal… Ces ministres qui remettent ça dans le gouvernement Borne" (in French). Libération. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
  18. ^ "Macron sacks education, health ministers in mini-reshuffle". Politico. 20 July 2023.
  19. ^ de Villaines, Astrid; Garcia, Émilie; Toussay, Jade (20 July 2023). "Gabriel Attal ministre de l'Éducation nationale, itinéraire d'un surdoué de la politique" (in French). HuffPost.
  20. ^ Chrisafis, Angelique (28 August 2023). "France to ban girls from wearing abayas in state schools". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 6 September 2023.
  21. ^ "French education minister announces ban on religious symbols and clothes in schools". POLITICO. 27 August 2023. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  22. ^ "French PM resigns as Macron seeks to relaunch presidency". France 24. 8 January 2024. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  23. ^ "Who is Gabriel Attal, the French PM who climbed the ranks in record time?". The Guardian. 9 January 2024.
  24. ^ "Attal: the 'new Macron' at helm of French government". France 24. 9 January 2024.
  25. ^ Biseau, Grégoire (31 October 2021). "Stéphane Séjourné et Gabriel Attal, un couple au cœur du pouvoir" (in French). Le Monde. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
  26. ^ Girard, Quentin (23 April 2019). "Gabriel Attal, de ses propres zèles" (in French). Libération. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  27. ^ "Juan Branco a-t-il une "haine quasi-obsessionnelle" à l'endroit de Benjamin Griveaux?" (in French). RFI. 18 February 2020.
  28. ^ Sitbon, Shirli. "Gabriel Attal: Barrage of antisemitic abuse for rising star of French politics". The Jewish Chronicle. Retrieved 9 January 2024.

Media related to Gabriel Attal at Wikimedia Commons

Political offices
Preceded by Government Spokesperson
2020–2022 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of Public Action and Accounts
2022–2023 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of National Education and Youth
2023–2024 		Succeeded by
TBD
Preceded by Prime Minister of France
2024–present 		Incumbent
Order of precedence
Preceded byas President of the Republic Order of precedence in France
Prime Minister 		Succeeded byas President of the Senate
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