Newly appointed prime minister Michel Barnier is facing pressure over his old election promise to halt immigration.
Barnier is backed by Marine Le Pen, who stated that she supports the three to five-year moratorium proposed by Barnier when he ran for president in 2021.
Along with the moratorium, his plans included ending regularisation of illegal immigrants, tightening criteria for family reunification, and reducing the number of long-term visas. In an interview with La Tribune Dimanche on Sunday, Le Pen, leader of the National Rally, said she supported Barnier’s call for a temporary ban on immigration.
There is no doubt that Michel Barnier seems to have the same view on immigration as we do. Now, we expect action from him. The leaders from the Left refuse to face the reality of the immigration problem. I also stick to Michel Barnier’s proposals during the 2021 Republican [party] primary, many of which were in line with our line.
During his campaign for the Republican leadership in 2021, Barnier promised that his first priority would be to “put a stop to the current immigration” and restore the power of the state. He also called on Britons to “finally accept their responsibility and process asylum applications at home.”
If we don’t change anything, there will be other Brexits.
A new poll published by Ifop for the Journal du Dimanche newspaper on Sunday showed that French people were divided over the president’s choice of prime minister, with 52 per cent expressing satisfaction with his choice, while 48 per cent opposed.
The survey results came a day after more than 100,000 demonstrators took to the streets to protest Barnier’s nomination.
Demonstration against Barnier’s appointment
People took to the streets across France last weekend to protest against President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to appoint national-oriented politician Michel Barnier as prime minister.
The protests were initiated by the left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) alliance, which hoped their candidate would lead the government.
According to the Interior Ministry, more than 110,000 people took part in demonstrations against Macron across the country, with around 26,000 of them gathering in the capital Paris. Protests occurred in more than 150 locations across the country, including major cities Rennes, Nantes, Nice, Marseille, and Strasbourg.
Protesters accused Macron of “ignoring the election results” by appointing Barnier as prime minister instead of NFP candidate Lucie Castets.
