Thousands of people have taken to the streets across France to protest against President Emmanuel Macron's decision to appoint centre-right Michel Barnier as prime minister.
Thousands of people took to the streets across France to protest against President Emmanuel Macron's decision to appoint centre-right Michel Barnier as prime minister, as left-wing parties accuse him of stealing parliamentary elections.
Protests took place in Paris and other cities, including Nantes in the west, Nice and Marseille in the south and Strasbourg in the east.
On Thursday, Macron named Barnier, 73, a conservative and former European Union Brexit negotiator, as prime minister, capping a two-month search following Macron's ill-fated decision to call a legislative election that resulted in a hung parliament divided into three blocs.
The left, led by the far-left party France Unshakeable (LFI), has accused Macron of stealing the election after Macron refused to choose the candidate of the New Popular Front (NFP) alliance that came first in the July vote.
Many protesters directed their anger at Macron, with some calling for his resignation.
“The Fifth Republic is falling apart,” said protester Manon Bonijol. “Voting one’s vote will be useless as long as Macron is in power.”
In his first interview as head of government, Barnier said late Friday 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 difficult task of trying to push through reforms and the 2025 budget, while France is under pressure from the European Commission and bond markets to reduce its deficit.
Al Jazeera's Natacha Butler, reporting from Paris, said protesters believe Macron is allowing the far right to be in government by giving the job to Barnier.
“They say that Macron opened the door for the far right to become more powerful than ever in France’s political landscape,” he said. “There is a lot of anger here, as well as a great sense of injustice and the feeling that Macron made a mockery of democracy.”
Pollster Elabe released a survey on Friday showing that 74 percent of French people believe Macron has ignored the election results, while 55 percent believe he stole them.
Cole Stangler, an analyst who covers politics in France, said protesters felt Macron's decision did not reflect the outcome of the past election.
“Macron and the business world are increasingly worried about the looming budget deadline,” he said. “They need to get a budget approved before the end of the year and submit it to parliament before October 1.”
“Barnier is a person you can trust. He will be able to keep France’s public finances under control from Macron’s point of view.”
Stangler added that Barnier is also a congenial figure for the country's far-right political movement, which has yet to commit to supporting him.
