On Saturday, over 100,000 left-wing demonstrators protested in France to denounce President Emmanuel Macron’s “power grab” and the nomination of the centre-right Michel Barnier as prime minister.
According to the interior ministry, 110,000 individuals participated in the nationwide demonstrations, with 26,000 individuals participating in Paris. However, a prominent left-wing figure estimated that the turnout in France was 300,000.
Rallies were conducted in various locations throughout France, such as Nantes in the west, Nice and Marseille in the south, and Strasbourg in the east.
On Thursday, Macron appointed Barnier, a 73-year-old former foreign minister who served as the European Union’s Brexit negotiator, as prime minister in an effort to advance following the results of the emergency elections, in which his centrist alliance placed second.
Barnier stated on Friday that he was amenable to the inclusion of ministers from all political parties, including those on the left.
However, a left-wing coalition that emerged as France’s largest political bloc following the June-July elections, despite falling short of an overall majority, has denounced Macron’s appointment of Barnier.
The alliance advocated for Lucie Castets, a 37-year-old economist, to be appointed as prime minister; however, Macron rejected this notion, contending that she would not be able to withstand a confidence vote in the divided parliament.
On Saturday, a significant number of demonstrators directed their ire toward Macron, 46, and some even called for his resignation.
