France’s Youngest Former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal Enters Presidential Race

Former French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal has announced he will run in next year’s presidential election after Emmanuel Macron’s term ends, entering a race expected to be tightly contested. The 37-year-old made the declaration in Mur-de-Barrez, saying he wants to change a political mindset he described as managing France’s decline rather than reversing it. Attal, who served as France’s youngest-ever prime minister, positioned himself as a leading figure on the political centre and said he aims to weaken the far right’s influence in rural areas. He becomes the second major centrist name to join the contest. The list of candidates also includes former prime minister Edouard Philippe and Jean-Luc Melenchon, one of the leading figures on the left. The election is expected to be highly competitive, with the far-right National Rally (RN) seeking to come to power through Marine Le Pen or Jordan Bardella. Attal’s rapid rise has often been compared with Emmanuel Macron’s political trajectory after his election in 2017. Educated in Paris, Attal became prime minister at 34 and will turn 38 next March, ahead of the presidential vote planned for April.