Protesters have urged the president to resign, after he picked Michel Barnier to lead the government, rejecting the left’s choice
Mass unrest swept France on Saturday over President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to appoint conservative politician Michel Barnier as prime minister, rejecting the choice of the largest faction in parliament.
Demonstrators called for Macron’s resignation, accusing him of a “power grab” and “stealing the election.”
Last month, the French leader rejected the New Popular Front (NFP) alliance’s candidate Lucie Castets for the post, despite the coalition winning the largest number of seats in the July parliamentary election.
On Wednesday, Macron nominated Michel Barnier – a member of the center-right The Republicans (LR) party and the EU’s former chief Brexit negotiator – as prime minister, replacing Gabriel Attal, who resigned after the election.
Barnier’s LR party came fourth in the legislative ballot,…