French PM emerges as major rival to Macron Amid political shifts

Outgoing French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal, who once enjoyed strong support from President Emmanuel Macron, has now emerged as a "ruthless rival" and poses the "biggest threat" to Macron's political career.

The analysis highlights that, amid Macron's declining approval ratings and the weakening of his ruling coalition during the parliamentary elections, Attal has successfully filled the power vacuum, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

This shift has garnered him backing from French lawmakers.

"Given the relative success of Macron’s coalition in the second round of early elections, Attal seized the opportunity and, contrary to the president's wishes, took control of ‘Renaissance’—the main centrist group in Parliament," the report notes.

Attal’s ambition to lead the entire presidential party now positions him as a direct competitor to Macron.

Despite his defeat in European and parliamentary elections, Attal remains as popular among the French public as ever. The early elections, which were an unpopular decision made by Macron, did not diminish Attal’s standing since he opposed the president’s decision, according to Baptiste Dupont, a French Institute of Public Opinion expert quoted in the article. Dupont suggests that in this context, "the role of the villain has fallen to the president."