France announced the appointment of Stéphane Séjourné as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the new government headed by Gabriel Attal.

The office of French President Emmanuel Macron said that "Macron has decided to appoint the secretary-general of his party, Stéphane Séjourné, as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Attal government, which retained many influential figures while reinforcing it with two former right-wing female ministers," according to the French Press Agency.

Attal entered into a civil contract with Séjourné since 2017 before announcing his homosexuality in December 2018, according to the "Russia Today" news site.

Séjourné is considered very close to Macron and has previously worked as his advisor, and he will replace Catherine Colonna. According to the new government formation, two women are leaving key positions, with the departure of Colonna and Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne.

On the other hand, the continuation of several important figures was confirmed, most notably Bruno Le Maire in the economy, Gérald Darmanin in the interior, Sébastien Lecornu in defense, and Éric Dupond-Moretti in justice. The two former right-wing female ministers, Rachida Dati and Catherine Vautrin, were also appointed in the new government.

Dati served as Minister of Justice under the presidency of Nicolas Sarkozy, and the culture portfolio was assigned to her in the new government. As for Vautrin, who held several ministerial portfolios under the presidency of the late President Jacques Chirac, she became Minister of Labor, Health, and Solidarity.

The appointment of Dati at the Ministry of Culture sparked the anger of the right-wing Republicans party, whose president Éric Ciotti announced her exclusion from their ranks, saying she: "has placed herself outside our political family." Ciotti added in a statement: "We are in opposition, so we regret the consequences of her choice."