Two big surprises and a lot of controversy: this is how the government of Gabriel Attal, the prime minister who will be younger than all his ministers, presents itself. And that he will have his partner, Stéphane Séjourné, in the role of Foreign Minister. No one even expected the return of Rachida Dati, who has been dedicated to municipal politics in Paris for years after her experience at Justice with Nicolas Sarkozy, at the top of Culture.
The government, halved in number to just 14 ministers, was announced shortly before 20 p.m. at the Elysée Palace by the secretary general, Alexis Kohler. Immediately the remarks and criticisms rained down: the women almost disappeared, to whom not even one of the most important ministries went. And in order to succeed in the feat of restricting the executive as much as possible, questionable operations have been made: the Minister of Sport and the Paris 2024 Olympics Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, already burdened by an important undertaking such as the Games, also goes to National Education, one of the traditionally most problematic ministries.
France: here is the new government of Gabriel Attal
And Health, the main concern of the French along with safety according to polls, disappears as a ministry and is absorbed by that of Labor, under the orders of Catherine Vautrin. In the first case, sources close to the appointments assert that this is a signal that National Education will remain the de facto competence of Prime Minister Attal, who was in charge of it as minister until two days ago. In the second, it is assumed that an expansion of the government will come in the coming days.
The government out of 14 ministers has as many as 8 right-wing ones, including the surprise Dati, who was immediately excluded from the Républicains party with a statement by President Eric Ciotti.
The decision is interpreted as the desire to include a personality of strong popularity, even if controversial. In recent years, as mayor of the <>th arrondissement of Paris, she has engaged in a bitter political duel against Mayor Anne Hidalgo, who is openly hostile to the government. Hidalgo's reaction was not long in coming, as she wished the protagonists of the world of culture "what awaits them in the coming months".
I also said goodbye to Catherine Colonna, the Minister of Foreign Affairs who gave way - also in this case the news was kept secret until the last minute - to Stéphane Séjourné, MEP and head of the Macronist Renaissance party as well as of Renew Europe, the liberal political group in the European Parliament. He will be Attal's minister, of whom he is also the partner in life, probably an extra difficulty for the two, who have always lived their relationship with great discretion.
All rights reserved © Copyright ANSA