Thousands protest across France over Michel Barnier appointment as PM

Thousands of people took to the streets in France on Saturday to protest against Emmanuel Macron’s appointment of the centre-right Michel Barnier as prime minister, with leftwing parties accusing the president of stealing legislative elections.

Macron named Barnier, a conservative and the EU’s former Brexit negotiator, as prime minister on Thursday, capping a two-month-long search after his ill-fated decision to call a legislative election that delivered a hung parliament divided in three blocs.

Barnier, in his first interview in office, said on Friday night that his government, which lacked a clear majority, would include conservatives, members of Macron’s camp and, he hoped, some from the left.

In response to the appointment of Barnier, whose centre-right Les Républicains party is only the fourth largest bloc in parliament, with fewer than 50 lawmakers, leftwing party leaders, unions and student bodies called for mass protests on Saturday before new action, including possible strikes on 1 October.

The LFI said 130 protests would take place across the country.

Barnier was continuing consultations on Saturday as he sought to form a government, a tricky job given he faces a potential vote of no confidence, especially with an urgent draft budget for 2025 due to be discussed in parliament at the start of October.