Why the appointment of France's new PM turned into a gift for "friends of Putin"

On 7 September, tens of thousands (and according to organisers, hundreds of thousands) of French citizens took to the streets in mass protests against the appointment of 73-year-old "Gaullist" Michel Barnier as France's new Prime Minister.

The protests were led by supporters of left-wing parties, which had united in the "New Popular Front" (NPF) bloc during the last elections. Although the bloc did not win a majority of seats, it finished first in the elections and holds the largest parliamentary group. Because of this, the left-wing groups believe that President Emmanuel Macron had no other choice but to appoint the NPF’s candidate, Lucie Castets, as head of the government.

But the president decided otherwise, so the left is accusing him of conspiring with representatives of Marine Le Pen's far-right party.

Read more about whether these accusations are true and whether this situation poses additional threats to Ukraine in the article by Yurii Panchenko, a European Pravda editor – Flirting with Marine Le Pen: How Macron chose France's PM and what consequences will it bear.

After President Macron's plan to form a broad coalition around his supporters failed, he had to move to Plan B. He announced all of a sudden the appointment of a politician as prime minister who was not only not considered for the role but had also sharply criticised Macron, calling his leadership style "lonely and arrogant."

This change is symbolic: the youngest prime minister in French history, 35-year-old Gabriel Attal, hands over power to the oldest.

There is much more to Michel Barnier's candidacy though than just his age.

European Pravda has analysed Barnier's views on Ukraine and the Russia-Ukraine conflict. In short, he has always supported Ukraine's territorial integrity but advocated for easing sanctions against Russia before the full-scale invasion.

Barnier's critics have described his views as leaning towards the far-right. A vivid example: the French LGBT community expressed concern over Barnier's appointment, recalling that in 1981, when France decriminalised same-sex relationships, Barnier, then a young MP, voted against the initiative.

While radical rollbacks of LGBT rights are not expected now, migration is a different issue, as Barnier advocates for stricter control over immigration.

The New Popular Front rejects any chanice of cooperation with the new government and promises to vote for a no-confidence motion.

So, how can Macron be sure that this government will survive a no-confidence vote? It is likely that this appointment looks like some sort of agreement with the National Rally (Le Pen's party).

The NPF makes no secret of it. The first statements by the new prime minister further support these accusations.

Thus, the National Rally can be considered the main winner in this prime ministerial appointment.

Will this cause problems for Ukraine?

At the moment, it seems that Le Pen's party is content with the new government's initiatives on tightening immigration controls. But could they later demand a review of France’s support for Ukraine?

Fortunately, in the short term, this risk is very low.