MIRIAM NNOLI 
On Saturday, thousands of demonstrators took to the streets across France to protest President Emmanuel Macron’s appointment of 73-year-old Michel Barnier as the country’s new Prime Minister.
The protests were led primarily by left-wing parties, who accused Macron of undermining democracy and manipulating the recent legislative elections.
According to a report by Reuters, Barnier, a centre-right politician, and former EU Brexit negotiator, was named Prime Minister after a two-month search that followed the legislative elections, which ended in a hung parliament divided into three major political blocs.
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Barnier’s appointment has sparked a backlash from many left-wing groups, including the far-left France Unbowed (LFI) party, which claims Macron ignored the election results in favor of consolidating power.
In Barnier’s first address as Prime Minister, he noted the challenges of forming a government without a clear majority and expressed his desire to include members from across the political spectrum, including conservatives and Macron’s own camp, as well as some from the left.
