Protesters rally in France against Barnier’s appointment as PM
Al Jazeera
Thousands take to the streets across France to protest President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to appoint centre-right Michel Barnier as prime minister.
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.
