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.

France erupted in mass protests after Emmanuel Macron appointed Sébastien Lecornu as prime minister. The “Block Everything” movement led to riots, clashes with police, and over 200 arrests

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.

Protesters blocked roads, lit blazes and were met with volleys of tear gas on Wednesday in Paris and elsewhere in France, heaping pressure on President Emmanuel Macron by attempting to give his new prime minister a baptism of fire.

Protests erupted in Paris and other cities, where demonstrators clashed with police, blocked roads, and set fires amid a political crisis for President Emmanuel Macron. With nearly 200 arrests, the "Block Everything" movement,

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

Nationwide unrest broke out across France on Wednesday as protesters blocked roads, set fire to trash cans outside schools and clashed with police, who responded with tear gas, as anger grows against the country’s political class.