The protests directly challenged President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to bypass a prime minister from the far-left bloc following a deeply dividing —and divided — legislative election result in July.

France's new conservative Prime Minister Michel Barnier announced that a new government will be formed next week. Barnier, appointed by President Emmanuel Macron, is consulting candidates for ministries in a politically divided parliament.

Michel Barnier is the new Prime Minister of France. The former head of French diplomacy and EU commissioner was appointed head of the government by President Emmanuel Macron. A meeting at the Élysée Palace preceded the nomination.

Thousands took to streets across France on Saturday to protest the appointment of conservative Michel Barnier.

His appointment has nothing to do with Brexit and everything to do with the state of French politics since president Emmanuel Macron’s bewildering decision in June to dissolve the National Assembly and call parliamentary elections.

The French government, which missed a deadline this week to set a blueprint to lower its debt and deficit, is struggling to meet fiscal requirements set by the E.U.

By Leigh Thomas PARIS (Reuters) -French Prime Minister Michel Barnier came under pressure on Wednesday to clarify how he will plug a gaping hole in the public finances as the central bank and public audit office warned spending cuts and tax hikes are inevitable.

France's budgetary situation is "very serious", Prime Minister Michel Barnier told AFP on Wednesday, saying more information was needed to gauge the "precise reality" of French public finances.

France has a "very serious" budgetary deficit, Prime Minister Michael Barnier said, weeks after France was placed on a formal procedure for violating European Union budgetary rules. Barnier, who was appointed to lead the French government on September 6 after months of political deadlock,