Thousands of people took to the streets today in France to protest the French president’s decision Emmanuel Macron to appoint the centre-right Michel Barnier prime minister, with the left parties accusing him of rigging the elections.

Macron on Thursday appointed Barnier, 73, a conservative and former EU negotiator to Brexitprime minister after two months of searching for the right person to fill the post following elections in July that produced a fragmented parliament in which no party has a clear majority.

In his first interview since his appointment yesterday, Barnier said that his government, which does not have a majority, will include conservative officials and members from Macron’s centrist party, while he expressed the hope that officials from the left will also join it.

Barnier faces the challenge of pushing through reforms and drawing up the 2025 budget as France comes under pressure from the European Commission to reduce its deficit.

The left, with the party first Indomitable Franceaccused the French president of renouncing democracy and rigging the election after Macron refused to choose the candidate of the New Popular Front, the left-wing coalition that came first in votes in the election, as prime minister.

The polling company Elabe published a survey yesterday, according to which 74% of the French believe that Macron ignored the result of the election, while 55% estimated that he usurped it.

Reacting to the appointment of Barnier, whose centre-right party Les Republicains is fifth in power in the parliament with fewer than 50 MPs, left-wing parties, unions and student unions had called for demonstrations today, while they are also planning new mobilisations, with a possible strike on October 1.

France Insubordinate has announced that 130 demonstrations will take place across France.

In the meantime, Barnier is continuing today with consultations on the formation of a government, a difficult task as he is faced with the possibility of not receiving a vote of confidence from parliament, when the draft budget for 2025 must be discussed in early October.

The New People’s Front and the far-right National Alarm together they have a majority in parliament and could force him to step down as prime minister if they join forces in a potential impeachment motion.

The National Alarm silently approved the appointment of Barnier, however setting conditions to give him a vote of confidence, with the party gaining a decisive role in the developments.

“He is a prime minister under supervision,” said his chief Jordan Bardella on station BFM today. “Nothing can be done without us,” he stressed.