Thousands of protesters took to the streets across France, expressing their discontent with President Emmanuel Macron's recent selection for prime minister.
As per BBC, Macron's choice of centre-right politician Michel Barnier as prime minister sparked massive protests across France on Saturday, with leftist groups accusing the president of disregarding election results.
On Thursday, Macron nominated the 73-year-old conservative Barnier—a veteran EU negotiator on Brexit—prime minister, after a two-month search that began after his disastrous choice to schedule a parliamentary election that resulted in a hung parliament.
At the beginning of the eastern Paris protest, Jean-Luc Melenchon, leader of the far-left France Unbowed party (LFI), said to demonstrators, "Democracy is not only the art of knowing how to accept victory, but the humility to accept defeat."
The leftist leader added, "I call on you to undertake a long battle."
An estimated 300,000 people peacefully protested throughout France, with 160,000 of those taking place in Paris, according to the organisers; however, 26,000 individuals were reported to have participated in the city by the police.
Although the Interior Ministry's figures are typically significantly lower than those of organisers, it did not immediately provide a figure for the entire nation.
Meanwhile, Barnier visited a hospital in Paris for the first time as an official. After months of inaction, the public health sector's deteriorating state has been one of the areas where citizens have demanded action.
Barnier, who does not have a clear majority, told reporters, "We can make improvements without carrying out miracles."
On Friday, he declared that he wanted to include some leftists, conservatives, and supporters of Macron in his next administration.
