“Dear @GabrielAttal,I know I can count on your energy and your commitment to implement the project of revitalisation and regeneration that I announced,” Macron wrote on social media after appointing Attal,a close ally and former minister and government spokesman.
Widespread public discontent over surging living costs and last year’scontested pension reform have seriously hit Macron’s ratings,and his chances in the EU ballot,where his party trails badly behind Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally.
“I’m well aware of the context in which I take on this job,” Attal said.
“Too many French doubt our country,doubt themselves or our future. I think in particular of the middle class ... who get up every morning to go to work ... and sometimes can’t make ends meet,” he said,promising to work to “control our destiny and free up France’s potential”.
Shorn of a working majority in parliament,Macron has battled to push through his second-term reform agenda,and is now set to focus on more consensual objectives such as aiming to reach full employment.
Attal has polled as one of France’s most popular politicians in recent months. A Macron loyalist,he became a household name as government spokesman during the COVID pandemic and earned a reputation as a smooth communicator.