French President Emmanuel Macron has appointed Education Minister Gabriel Attal as France’s first openly gay Prime Minister.
Attal lives in a civil union with Stéphane Séjourné, a member of the European Parliament for La République En Marche. During his political career, Attal received antisemitic and homophobic hate speech on social media, which he once called “bucketloads of vomit” from internet trolls concerning his identity.
Cher @GabrielAttal, je sais pouvoir compter sur votre énergie et votre engagement pour mettre en œuvre le projet de réarmement et de régénération que j’ai annoncé. Dans la fidélité à l’esprit de 2017 : dépassement et audace. Au service de la Nation et des Français.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) January 9, 2024
Opinion polls show President Macron’s party trailing Far Right leader Marine Le Pen by around eight to ten percentage points. Gabriel Attal, who at 34 is also the country’s youngest Prime, will be tasked with trying to improve Mr Macron’s chances in the June EU elections.
Mr Attal, a close Macron ally, became a household name after being appointed government spokesman during the Covid pandemic.
Writing on X, formerly Twitter, President Macron said: “Dear Gabriel Attal, I know I can count on your energy and your commitment to implement the rearmament and regeneration project that I announced. In fidelity to the spirit of 2017: surpassing and audacity. In the service of the Nation and the French.”
