<div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">More than 100,000 left-wing demonstrators rallied across France on Saturday to protest against the nomination of the centre-right Michel Barnier as prime minister and denounce President Emmanuel Macron's "power grab".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The interior ministry said 110,000 people took to the streets nationwide, including 26,000 in Paris, while one leading left-winger put the turnout across France at 300,000.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Rallies took place in cities across France including Nantes in the west, Nice and Marseille in the south and Strasbourg in the east.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Macron on Thursday appointed Barnier, a 73-year-old former foreign minister who acted as the European Union's Brexit negotiator, as prime minister, seeking to move forward after snap elections in which his centrist alliance came second.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Barnier said on Friday that he was open to naming ministers of all political stripes, including "people from the left".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">But a left-wing coalition, which emerged as France's largest political bloc after the June-July elections, although short of an overall majority, has denounced Macron's appointment of Barnier.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The alliance wanted Lucie Castets, a 37-year-old economist, to become prime minister, but Macron quashed that idea, arguing that she would not survive a confidence vote in the hung parliament.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On Saturday, many demonstrators directed their anger at Macron, 46, and some called on him to resign.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">- 'Old elephant' -</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"The Fifth Republic is collapsing," said 21-year-old protester Manon Bonijol, referring to France's current system of government.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Expressing one's vote will be useless as long as Macron is in power," she added.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Hard-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon, whose France Unbowed party (LFI) and allies belong to the left-wing bloc, had called for people to take to the streets, arguing that the election had been "stolen from the French".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On Saturday, he urged supporters to prepare for battle.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"There will be no pause," he vowed.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Democracy isn't just the art of accepting that you've won, it's also the humility of accepting that you've lost," Melenchon said at the Paris march.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Project manager Alexandra Germain, 44, accused Macron of riding roughshod over the wishes of voters.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Demonstrating is my only way of saying that I don't agree, even if I am well aware that it is useless," said Germain.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Abel Couaillier, a 20-year-old student, said he was stunned by the appointment of Barnier whom he called an "old elephant".</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"I am still young, I want to believe that we can change things," added Couaillier.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Leading LFI figure Mathilde Panot claimed on X, formerly Twitter, that 160,000 demonstrators had protested in Paris and 300,000 people across France.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Police said five people had been detained in Paris.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">- 'Under surveillance' -</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Marine Le Pen, who leads far-right National Rally (RN) lawmakers in parliament, has said her party will not be part of the new cabinet, and that she will wait for Barnier's first policy speech in parliament before deciding whether or not to back him.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Barnier is a prime minister under surveillance," said RN party president Jordan Bardella on Saturday.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"I am under the surveillance of all French people," said Barnier, on the sidelines of a visit to the Necker children's hospital in Paris.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Barnier will be in charge of the budget, security, immigration and healthcare.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He will have to take into account the interests of the National Rally -- the single-largest party in a fragmented legislature -- if he wants to avoid a motion of no-confidence in parliament.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Barnier -- who is likely to have only minority support in the National Assembly -- faces the urgent task of presenting the 2025 budget by early October.</div><div 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