PARIS (NEWSnet/AP) — France saw its youngest-ever prime minister and first openly gay one named Tuesday as President Emmanuel Macron launched a fresh start for the rest of his term.

Gabriel Attal, 34, rose to prominence as the government spokesperson then education minister and had polled as the most popular minister in the outgoing government. Other leaders in the incoming government will be named soon, though some key ministers are expected to stay on.

Former prime minister Elisabeth Borne resigned Monday following political turmoil over an immigration law that strengthens the government’s ability to deport foreigners.

During the handover ceremony, Attal said: “I could read and hear it: the youngest president of the Republic in history appoints the youngest prime minister in history. I want to see it only as the symbol of boldness and movement. It is also, and perhaps above all, a symbol of confidence in young people.”

Attal said his goals include making security an “absolute priority” and promoting values of “authority and respect of others.” He also vowed to strengthen public services including schools and the health system and push for “better controlling immigration.”

The president’s second term lasts until 2027, and he is constitutionally barred from a third consecutive term. Political observers have suggested that Macron, a staunch supporter of European integration, wants his new government to prepare for June’s European Union elections, where far-right, anti-EU populists are expected to increase their influence.

Critics from both left and right took aim at Attal for his limited experience, his Paris upbringing seen as out of touch with people struggling in the provinces, and his loyalty to the president.

Under the French system, the prime minister is appointed by the president, accountable to the parliament and is in charge of implementing domestic policy, notably economic measures. The president holds substantial powers over foreign policy and European affairs and is the commander-in-chief of the country’s armed forces.

Attal, a former member of the Socialist Party, joined Macron’s newly created political movement in 2016 and was spokesperson from 2020 to 2022, a job that made him well-known to the French public. He was then named budget minister before being appointed in July as education minister, one of the most prestigious positions in government.

Attal quickly announced a ban on long robes in classrooms that took effect with the new school year in September, saying the garments worn mainly by Muslims were testing secularism in the schools.

He also launched a plan to experiment with uniforms in some public schools, as part of efforts to move the focus away from clothes and reduce school bullying.

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