Beleaguered President Emmanuel Macron has appointed outgoing defense minister Sébastien Lecornu as prime minister, handing him the daunting task of trying to find consensus in a divided parliament and pass the 2026 budget.

The French president named one of his loyalists to succeed Francois Bayrou, who resigned after just 194 lawmakers of the 577-seat National Assembly voted in his favor.

Authorities deployed 80,000 police, who made hundreds of arrests and fired tear gas to disperse crowds early Wednesday. The unrest adds to turmoil after the collapse of the government over proposed budget cuts.

In Paris, riot police used tear gas to disperse crowds, while firefighters cleared away charred debris from makeshift barricades near a high school. Authorities said at least 132 people had been arrested in the capital alone,

Protesters have blocked roads, set blazes and were met with volleys of police tear gas in Paris and elsewhere in France. The demonstrations on Wednesday seek to heap pressure on President Emmanuel Macron by attempting to give his new prime minister a baptism of fire.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday named his defence minister and close ally Sebastien Lecornu as the new prime minister to resolve a deepening political crisis as protests loom in the coming days.

Macron has cycled through several prime ministers in the past three years, and the public is blaming him for the instability.

The root of the latest expected government collapse was Macron's stunning decision to dissolve the National Assembly in June 2024.

The protesters, angry at French President Emmanuel Macron over his leadership and austerity policies, are planning to disrupt activity across the country.