Thousands of people took to the streets across France yesterday to protest President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to appoint centre-right Michel Barnier as prime minister with left-wing parties accusing him of stealing legislative elections.

Macron named 73-year-old Barnier, a conservative and the European Union’s former Brexit negotiator, as prime minister on Thursday, capping a two-month-long search following his ill-fated decision to call a legislative election that delivered a hung parliament divided in three blocs.

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.

The left, led by the far-left France Unbowed (LFI) party, has accused Macron of a denial of democracy and stealing the election after Macron refused to pick the candidate of the New Popular Front (NFP) alliance that came top in the July vote.

Pollster Elabe published a survey on Friday showing that 74% of French people considered Macron had disregarded the results of the elections with 55% believing he had stolen them. 

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