Thousands of people have taken to the streets across France to protest President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to appoint former Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier as prime minister – with left-wing parties accusing him of a “power grab”.
The left, led by the far-left France Unbowed (LFI) party, has accused Mr 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 that came top in the July vote.
In Paris, protesters gathered at Place de la Bastille and tensions ran high as police prepared for potential clashes. Some carried placards reading “Where is my vote?”
At the head of the Parisian procession, LFI’s leader Jean-Luc Melenchon spoke passionately, declaring that “the French people are in rebellion. They have entered into revolution.”
“There will be no pause, no truce. I call you to a long-term battle,” he added.
In the southwestern city of Montauban, a rally speaker told the crowd that “the people have been ignored.” Other protests took place is some 150 locations nationwide.
While Mr Barnier was meeting with healthcare workers at Paris’ Necker Hospital for his first official visit as prime minister, opponents say the unrest in the streets is shaping his government’s future. Mr Barnier, who is working to assemble his Cabinet, expressed a commitment to listening to public concerns, particularly about France’s public services.
Jordan Bardella, leader of the far-right National Rally (RN), warned that Mr Barnier was “under surveillance” by his party as well. Mr Bardella, speaking at the Chalons-en-Champagne fair, called for the prime minister to include his party’s priorities in his agenda, particularly regarding national security and immigration.
Mr Barnier, 73, is the oldest of the 26 prime ministers that have served modern France’s Fifth Republic. He replaces the youngest, Gabriel Attal, who was 34 when he was appointed just eight months ago.
Though Mr Barnier brings five decades of political experience, his appointment offers no guarantee of resolving the crisis. His challenge is immense: He must form a government that can navigate a fractured National Assembly, where the political spectrum is deeply divided between the far left, far right, and Macron’s weakened centrist bloc. The outcome of the snap poll, far from providing clarity, has only served to destabilize both the country and Macron’s grip on power.
The president’s decision to turn to Mr Barnier, a seasoned political operator with deep ties to the European Union, is seen as an attempt to bring stability to French politics. And Barnier, who gained prominence as the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, has faced daunting tasks before.
Critics say Mr Macron, elected on the promise of a break from the old political order, now finds himself battling the instability he once promised to overcome.
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