Thousands protest across France over former Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier being named prime minister

Left-wing parties accuse Emmanuel Macron of stealing elections by choosing conservative to lead government

People take part in a protest in Nantes (AFP via Getty)

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 in some 150 locations nationwide.

While Mr Barnier was meeting with healthcare workers at Necker Hospital in Pairs 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.

Jean-Luc Melenchon, leader of French far-left opposition party France Unbowed (LFI) in Paris (Reuters)

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.

Mr Attal was forced to resign after Mr Macron’s centrist government performed poorly in the July snap legislative elections. Mr Macron called the election in the hopes of securing a clear mandate, but it instead produced a hung parliament, leaving the president without a legislative majority and plunging his administration into turmoil.

Mr Attal was also France’s first openly gay prime minister. French media and some of Mr Macron’s opponents, who immediately criticised Mr Barnier’s appointment, quickly dug up that when serving in parliament in 1981, the new prime minister had been among 155 legislators who voted against a law that decriminalised homosexuality.

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 Mr Macron’s weakened centrist bloc. The outcome of the snap poll, far from providing clarity, has only served to destabilise both the country and Mr 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 Mr 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.

Associated Press