Mass protests erupt in France after Macron picks Barnier as PM
More than 100,000 left-wing demonstrators were reported to 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.
The interior ministry said 110,000 people took to the streets nationwide, including 26,000 in Paris, while one leading left-winger put the turnout across France at 300,000.
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.
“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.
