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.
He faces the daunting task of trying to drive reforms and the 2025 budget, as France is under pressure from the European commission and bond markets to reduce its deficit.
The left, led by the far-left France Unbowed (LFI) party, has accused Macron of a denial of democracy and stealing the election after the president refused to pick the candidate of the New Popular Front (NFP) alliance, which came top in the July vote.
The pollster Elabe published a survey on Friday showing 74% of French people thought that Macron had disregarded the results of the elections, with 55% believing he had stolen them.
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.
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NFP and the far-right National Rally (RN) together have a majority and could oust the prime minister through a confidence vote should they decide to collaborate.
The RN gave its tacit approval for Barnier, citing a number of conditions for it to not back a vote of no confidence, making it the de facto kingmaker for the new government.
“He is a prime minister under surveillance,” the RN party leader Jordan Bardella said on Saturday. “Nothing can be done without us.”
