The French president appointed a conservative as prime minister two weeks ago despite having lost the elections
Tens of thousands of protesters marched in Paris on Saturday against French President Emmanuel Macron’s appointment of Prime Minister Michel Barnier, as France continues to await a final list of names for the president’s new cabinet. Protesters carried banners and chanted as they marched from Place de la Bastille, with many directly calling for Macron to resign at a rally organised by France’s parliamentary left groups. Macron appointed Barnier, a former EU Brexit negotiator and member of the right-wing Les Républiques (LR) party, as prime minister two weeks ago. LR fell behind in the second round of legislative elections in July, which were won by the left-wing New Popular Front coalition. Barnier has struggled to name a new government, underlining the complicated topography of the French political landscape following Macron’s ill-fated decision to call early elections. There is no set deadline for Barnier to publish the final list of new ministers and he will have to tread carefully so as not to irritate opposition parties, who could unite and topple his government with a vote of no confidence.
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