Several political opponents of the government in place accuse the former president of the Assembly, close to Emmanuel Macron, of wanting to change the Constitution so that he can stand for the presidential election of 2027.
Did Richard Ferrand call for modifying the Constitution so that Emmanuel Macron can run for the presidential election of 2027? Yes, according to the opposition. No, according to Richard Ferrand himself. “We were wondering who was going to be the first to dare!”exclaims the socialist senator Laurence Rossignol. “For some, the Sixth Republic looks more like restoration or empire”mocks the First Secretary of the Socialist Party Olivier Faure. While Sébastien Chenu, National Rally deputy, denounces a “tampering” of Emmanuel Macron’s camp, on South Radio Monday, June 19.
>> Richard Ferrand believes that changing the Constitution to allow a third presidential term is “not circumstantial”
According to him, “Richard Ferrand, who is totally sent by Emmanuel Macron, launches a trial balloon and comes to tell us that we could perhaps modify the Constitution to allow Emmanuel Macron to represent himself. Every day in Macronie, we move away a little more democracy”. But what did the former deputy, close to the President of the Republic, really say?
🔴 @RichardFerrand calls for amending the Constitution to authorize a 3rd presidential term
🗣️ @sebchenu : “It’s fiddling! He launches a trial balloon to allow #Macron to represent! Every day in macronie, we move a little further away from democracy! pic.twitter.com/9tK5raLzq0
— South Radio (@SudRadio) June 19, 2023
“Let’s change all that”, the phrase that sows confusion
Sunday June 18, exactly one year after his defeat in the legislative elections, the former deputy La République en Marche gave an interview to the newspaper Le Figaro, thus breaking its media silence. Towards the end of the interview, the journalist asks him if he regrets that Emmanuel Macron cannot run again in 2027. Richard Ferrand replies that “our Constitution so provides”.
But it is the rest of his remarks that arouses criticism. The former President of the National Assembly declares: “However, personally, I regret everything that restricts the free expression of popular sovereignty. The limitation of the presidential mandate in time, the non-accumulation of mandates, etc… (…) It weakens our political life in quality and in density, and makes it less attractive. Let’s change all that.”
Richard Ferrand denies
This last sentence is repeated in a loop by the oppositions. Contacted by franceinfo, Richard Ferrand affirms that his remarks are victims of a runaway as it exists on social networks. It all started, he says, with an article in the Huffington Post, claiming that he “called” to a change in the Constitution to authorize a 3rd presidential term.
Appalling to see lazy social media and media fuss over a stupid proposition that I don’t do in an interview @Le Figaro : modify the constitution for the presidential election of 2027. Silly panurgism. pic.twitter.com/feo8pxg9XF
—Richard Ferrand (@RichardFerrand) June 19, 2023
“My point is general, it does not only concern the president”he assures, explaining that he wanted to pour this idea into the debate and that he was not sent by Emmanuel Macron to launch a trial balloon. “It would not apply to the current president”does he think.
To criticism, he replies that “it would be good to take into account what people think and not the ulterior motives attributed to them”. He wonders : “How can anyone imagine me being stupid enough to come up with something for 2027 knowing full well that it has no chance of succeeding?” The Assembly – without an absolute majority – and the Senate – with a majority on the right – would not vote for such a reform of the Constitution.
But his denials do not convince many Internet users, who believe that, in fact, he is in favor of a change in the Constitution and that the current president, to whom he is close, is Emmanuel Macron.
Suspicions already in December 2022
Critics have turned on the president. Nicknamed “Macron 1st” by Mathilde Panotpresident of the La France insoumise group in the Assembly. “Nobody is fooled: it’s just Macron who sends a trial balloon to test the idea. Inhabited by a fanatical faith in himself and in his neoliberal project, convinced of being right against the people, the president dreams of never letting go of power. This man is dangerous”outbids the rebellious deputy Bastien Lachaud.
And why not restore the Empire with Macron 1st?
Richard Ferrand, the face of the autocratic drift of Macronie. https://t.co/gaXdZNRuZO
— Mathilde Panot (@MathildePanot) June 18, 2023
This controversy rekindles the suspicions that already weighed on Emmanuel Macron in December 2022, after a hypothesis by Jean-Jacques Urvoas, understood in the first degree and perceived, there too, as a trial balloon. At the time, the controversy had fueled political interviews for several weeks.