Gabriel Attal, France's youngest-ever prime minister, has announced a cabinet that leans more to the right than previous governments under President Emmanuel Macron. The new lineup, revealed on Thursday, retains most key figures from the outgoing administration but introduces several notable new faces, including Rachida Dati, a former minister under Nicolas Sarkozy, who takes on the culture portfolio.
The cabinet's rightward tilt marks a departure from Macron's earlier efforts to maintain a left-right balance. Only Attal and Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné have past ties to the Socialist Party, while key posts such as interior, finance, and defence remain with former centre-right Republicans. Dati's appointment is seen as a coup for Attal, despite her past criticism of Macron's supporters as 'traitors'. She has since been suspended from the Republicans.
Stéphane Séjourné, Attal's former partner, takes over as foreign minister. The two were in a civil partnership from 2017 until its dissolution in 2022. Séjourné, an early Macron supporter and former MEP, is expected to enjoy the president's confidence, though foreign policy remains Macron's domain. Another new appointee, Catherine Vautrin, becomes a super-minister for health and labour. A former Chirac minister and Sarkozy ally, she previously voted against gay marriage in 2013 but has since expressed regret.
The cabinet now includes three protégés of former President Sarkozy: Dati, Vautrin, and Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin. This has not gone unnoticed, given Macron's cordial relationship with Sarkozy. The reshuffle signals a strategic move to consolidate support from the right as Macron's centrist coalition faces challenges ahead of the European elections.
