1000’s of individuals took to the streets throughout France to protest in opposition to President Emmanuel Macron’s determination to nominate conservative Michel Barnier as prime minister.
Macron’s announcement got here on September 5, practically two months after France’s snap election through which no occasion received a majority.
Barnier, who belongs to the Republicans (LR) occasion, has accepted his function and stated that “respect, appeasement and unity are mandatory.”
Who’s Michel Barnier?
Born on January 9, 1951, Barnier got here from humble origins in La Tronche, southeastern France.
Barnier has served as Minister for the Setting, European Affairs, Overseas Affairs and Agriculture and Fisheries below 4 completely different Conservative Prime Ministers.
He has repeatedly voted for conservative choices, equivalent to opposing the decriminalization of same-sex relationships between underage {couples} and abolishing capital punishment.
Barnier was the EU’s chief negotiator with Britain throughout Brexit negotiations in 2016.
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France divided
Macron referred to as for early elections in July this 12 months after Marin Le Pen’s Nationwide Rally (RN) defeated his Renaissance occasion within the European Parliament elections.
Within the Nationwide Meeting elections, held in two rounds on 30 June and seven July and which noticed the best turnout since 1981, no occasion received a majority.
The leftist New Widespread Entrance completed first with 182 seats, adopted by Macron’s Ensemble, which received 161 seats, and RN completed with 142 seats.
Nonetheless, Macron had referred to as on centrist events to unite to kind a authorities.
Underneath the French system, the ability to nominate the prime minister rests solely with the president.
Macron rejected the left’s selection for prime minister, progressive socialist Lucie Castets, saying that “institutional stability dictates that this selection shouldn’t be maintained.”
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Report: Suchitra Karthikeyan
Voiceover: Jude Weston
Manufacturing: Gayatri Menon
Revealed – September 11, 2024 03:57 pm IST
