Left-wing parties in France held strong protests on Saturday (7) after the appointment of Michel Barnier as the new prime minister by President Emmanuel Macron.
The decision, which took place on Thursday (5), has been widely criticized by leftists. According to them, the choice of Barnier for the position ignores the result of the legislative elections in July, in which a left-wing coalition, led by the France Insoumise party, obtained a slight majority of seats in the National Assembly.
Michel Barnier, a former minister and former European Commissioner, is seen as a center-right figure with a long career in French politics. The leader of France Insoumise, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, was one of the main organizers of the protests. He criticized Macron’s choice of Barnier and said that “democracy is not only the art of knowing how to accept victory, but the humility to accept defeat”, referring to the fact that the president had “ignored” the election result and had not chosen a representative of the leftist bloc as prime minister.
According to information from the agency Reutersthe protests, which took place in more than 130 French cities, brought together thousands of people. According to the organizers, quoted by Reutersaround 300,000 protesters took to the streets across the country, with 160,000 in Paris alone. The agency cites local police estimating a lower number of around 26,000.
Barnier, who is coming to the premiership under intense pressure, will have the difficult task of forming a cabinet in the coming days that can survive in a deeply divided French parliament. The difference between the left-wing bloc and the right-wing National Rally (RN) is just 39 seats.
In October, he will have to present his policy objectives to parliament and risks facing a vote of no confidence. If he fails to secure the support of 289 of the 577 deputies, Barnier could be removed from office. The left, which includes France Insoumise, is already opposing the new prime minister, while right-wing leaders such as Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella say they will look at Barnier’s proposals before deciding whether to support him.
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