New French PM is Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier

PARIS: French Prez Emmanuel Macron appointed Michel Barnier, the EU's former Brexit negotiator, as his new prime minister on Thursday, tasking him with unifying France and ending the political paralysis that followed an inconclusive snap election.

The discreet, conservative politician will have the daunting challenge of trying to push reforms, and the 2025 budget, through a bitterly divided parliament, under the constant threat of a vote of no confidence. At 73, Barnier is the oldest PM in France's modern political history, taking over from Gabriel Attal, who was the youngest. It took Macron two months to appoint him, after the election failed to give any group a clear majority.

The left - which placed first in the election but without an absolute majority - made clear they would be staunch opponents. "The election was stolen from the French people," hard-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon said, calling for street protests on Saturday. Another hard-left MP, Mathilde Panot, called it an "unacceptable democratic coup".

Much will depend on the far-right National Rally (RN), parliament's biggest single party, which indicated it would not block Barnier for now, but could do so later if a range of demands were not met.

Barnier is a staunch pro-European and a moderate career politician, though he toughened his discourse considerably during a failed 2021 bid to become his conservative party's presidential nominee, saying immigration was out of control. Barnier first became a lawmaker aged 27, and later held roles in several French govts, including foreign minister and agriculture minister, though he has been out of political office in France for 15 years, spending most of that time at EU headquarters in Brussels. He is best known abroad for having led the EU's talks with Britain over its exit from the bloc.