France's Macron and new PM Attal craft new government

[January 10, 2024]  By Elizabeth Pineau

PARIS (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron and his new Prime Minister Gabriel Attal worked on Wednesday to pull together a cabinet, a day after Macron appointed the 34-year-old media-savvy loyalist to breathe new life into his second term.

Attal has promised to be bold and fast to help the middle class weather the rising cost of living, signalling a desire by Macron to move beyond divisive reforms and improve his centrist party's chances in European Parliament elections in June.

Little has leaked on the formation of the new cabinet, though Gerald Darmanin told French media he was confident he would stay on as interior minister. He is in charge, among other issues, of security for this summer's Paris Olympics.

Attal and Darmanin were scheduled to visit a town in the Paris region later on Wednesday, French media said.

Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire, who has been in his job for seven years - rare stability in that role by French standards - also seemed keen to stay on and unveiled his plans at the ministry for the whole year in a speech on Monday.

A source in regular contact with both Le Maire and Macron said he expected the former to remain in the post. "For the president, it's a guarantee there will be no hiccups."

PRESIDENTIAL RACE

Attal's office told Reuters Emmanuel Moulin, a close ally of Macron's powerful chief of staff Alexis Kohler, would become the prime minister's chief of staff, in a sign the president may keep a close eye on his premier, as he has for predecessors.

France's newly appointed Prime Minister Gabriel Attal delivers a speech during the handover ceremony with outgoing Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne at the Hotel Matignon in Paris, France, on January 9, 2024. Ludovic Marin/Pool via REUTERS

The reshuffle is likely to intensify the race in Macron's camp to succeed him in the next presidential election in 2027, with former prime minister Edouard Philippe, Darmanin and Le Maire all seen as potential candidates - alongside fast-rising Attal.

French commentators said Attal's ambitious and more senior cabinet colleagues could give him a hard time. But the surprise choice suggests the president was keen to promote a "Macron generation" of thirtysomethings, a palace official said.

It was unclear when the new government team would be appointed, with Senate president Gerard Larcher telling TF1 TV that Attal told him it could be done around the end of the week.

Widespread public discontent over surging living costs and last year's contested 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.

Attal has polled as one of France's most popular politicians in recent months. A Macron loyalist, he became a household name as government spokesperson during the COVID pandemic and earned a reputation as a smooth communicator.

(Reporting by Elizabeth Pineau, Dominique Vidalon, Bertrand Boucey, Zhifan Liu, writing by Ingrid Melander and Michel Rose, editing by Andrew Cawthorne)

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