French President Emmanuel Macron has appointed Michel Barnier, 73 years old, as Prime Minister, the Elysée announced on Thursday
The former minister and former European Commissioner is a member of the right-wing The Republicans.
The news comes 60 days after snap legislative elections resulted in a National Assembly without a majority. However, the left-wing New Popular Front was largely expected to hold the prime minister position after having won the most seats (187), while Les Republicans only got 41.
President Macron has, however, refused to appoint a Prime Minister from the New Popular Front coalition while arguing that this would lead to instability.
Barnier, the oldest Prime Minister of the Fifth Republic, succeeds 35-year-old Gabriel Attal, who was the youngest. He now faces the challenge of forming a government able to withstand parliamentary scrutiny, aimed at resolving the country’s gravest political crisis since the inception of the Fifth Republic.
New Popular Front parties have called for a demonstration in Paris this Saturday against Macron, calling out his "dissolution of democracy," as posted on social media by La France Insoumise MEP Manon Aubry on Thursday.
