Protest in France againstnew PM

PARIS:

Thousands of left-wing demonstrators on Saturday took to the streets across France to protest against the nomination of the centre-right Michel Barnier as prime minister and denounce President Emmanuel Macron's "power grab."

Police said that around 26,000 people demonstrated in Paris, while the left claimed a much higher turnout. Smaller rallies took place in other cities across France including Nantes in the west, Nice and Marseille in the south and Strasbourg in the east.

Macron on Thursday appointed Barnier, a 73-year-old former foreign minister who acted as the European Union's Brexit negotiator, as prime minister, seeking to move forward after July snap elections in which his centrist alliance came second.

Barnier said on Friday night that he was open to naming ministers of all political stripes, including "people from the left".

But a left-wing coalition, which emerged as France's largest force after the June-July elections, although without enough seats for an overall majority, has greeted Macron's appointment of Barnier with dismay.