Thousands of French citizens demonstrate in outrage following Macron’s appointment of Barnier as prime minister

Left-wing parties accused President Emmanuel Macron of hijacking legislative elections as they protested his appointment of center-right Michel Barnier as prime minister on Saturday. Thousands of people took to the streets throughout France.

Macron appointed 73-year-old Barnier, a conservative and the former Brexit negotiator for the European Union, as prime minister on Thursday, concluding a two-month-long search that followed his ill-fated decision to convene a legislative election, which resulted in a hung parliament divided into three blocs.

Barnier stated in his inaugural interview as government chief on Friday night that his government, which is currently devoid of a distinct majority, will consist of conservatives, members of Macron’s camp, and his aspiration to include some from the left.

Barnier is confronted with the formidable challenge of promoting reforms and the 2025 budget, as France is being compelled by the European Commission and bond markets to decrease its deficit.

In response to Macron’s refusal to select the candidate of the New Popular Front (NFP) alliance, which emerged victorious in the July election, the left, headed by the far-left France Unbowed (LFI) party, has accused him of stealing the election and denying democracy.

In a survey released on Friday by pollster Elabe, 74% of French individuals believed that Macron had neglected the results of the elections, while 55% believed that he had stolen them.

In anticipation of potential strikes in October 1, left-wing party leaders, unions, and student organizations called for mass protests on Saturday in response to Barnier’s appointment. Barnier’s center-right Les Republicains party is the fifth bloc in parliament with fewer than 50 legislators.

According to the LFI party, 130 protests were scheduled to occur throughout the nation.

Barnier continued consultations on Saturday in an effort to establish a government. This is a challenging endeavor, as he is threatened with a potential no-confidence motion, particularly in light of the fact that an urgent draft budget for 2025 is scheduled to be discussed in parliament at the beginning of October.

NFP and the far-right National Rally (RN) jointly possess a majority and have the potential to remove the prime minister through a no-confidence motion if they choose to form a coalition.

The RN’s tacit approval for Barnier was based on a number of conditions that prevented it from supporting a no-confidence motion, thereby establishing it as the de facto kingmaker for the new government.

Jordan Bardella, the chief of the RN party, stated to BFM on Saturday that the prime minister is currently under surveillance. “Nothing can be done without us.”