34-year-old Gabriel Attal becomes France's youngest Prime Minister

French President Emmanuel Macron has appointed 34-year-old Education Minister Gabriel Attal as his new prime minister. The move is being seen as a means of seeking to breathe new life into his second mandate ahead of the European parliament elections. With this, Attal has become the country's youngest Prime Minsiter. 

The move will not expected to cause any major political shift, but it signals a desire for Macron to try to move beyond last year's unpopular pension and immigration reforms and improve his party's chances in the EU ballot scheduled for June.

Attal, a close Macron ally who became a household name as government spokesman during the Covid pandemic, is replacing outgoing Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne.

Touted as one of France's most popular politicians in opinion polls, Attal has made a name for himself as a savvy minister, at ease on radio shows and in parliament.

Noteworthy is that apart from being France's youngest prime minister, Attal is the first to be openly gay.