Protesters rally in France against Barnier’s appointment as PM

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Thousands take to the streets across France to protest President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to appoint centre-right Michel Barnier as prime minister.

Published On 7 Sep 2024

Thousands of people have taken to the streets across France to protest President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to appoint centre-right Michel Barnier as PM, with left-wing parties accusing him of stealing legislative elections.

Protests took place in Paris as well as other cities including Nantes in the west, Nice and Marseille in the south and Strasbourg in the east.

On Thursday, Macron named 73-year-old Barnier, a conservative and the European Union’s former Brexit negotiator, as prime minister, capping a two-month-long search following Macron’s ill-fated decision to call a legislative election that delivered a hung parliament divided into three blocs.

The left, led by the far-left France Unbowed (LFI) party, has accused Macron of stealing the election after Macron refused to pick the candidate of the New Popular Front (NFP) alliance that came top in the July vote.

Many demonstrators directed their anger at Macron and some called on him to resign.

“The Fifth Republic is collapsing,” said protester Manon Bonijol. “Expressing one’s vote will be useless as long as Macron is in power.”

In his first interview as government chief, Barnier said on Friday night that his government, which lacks a clear majority, will 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.

Al Jazeera’s Natacha Butler, reporting from Paris, said the protesters believe Macron is allowing for the far-right to be in the government by giving the job to Barnier.

“They say that Macron opened the door for the far right to be more powerful than ever in France’s political landscape,” she said. “There is a lot of anger here as well as a lot of sense of injustice, and the feeling that Macron made a mockery of democracy.”

Pollster Elabe published a survey on Friday showing that 74 percent of French people considered Macron had disregarded the results of the elections, with 55 percent believing he had stolen them.

Cole Stangler, an analyst covering politics in France, said the protesters feel that Macron’s decision does not reflect the result of the past elections.

“Macron and the business establishment is increasingly concerned about the upcoming budget deadline,” he said. “They have to get a budget approved by the end of the year and they have to present a budget to the parliament by October 1.

“Barnier is very much someone who has a trusted pair of hands. He is going to be able to keep France’s public finances in check from Macron’s standpoint.”

Stangler added that Barnier is also someone who is palatable to the far-right political movement in the country – that has not committed to supporting him yet.