A referendum on immigration is “no longer on the agenda”, according to participants in the meeting organized by Emmanuel Macron in Saint-Denis

Emmanuel Macron and party leaders meeting on Friday November 17 in Saint-Denis (Seine-Saint-Denis) concluded that a referendum on immigration was not relevant in the absence of consensus on the subject, declared several participants at the end of the meeting.

“There will be no referendum on immigration”, announced Marine Tondelier, national secretary of the EELV party. “A consensus emerged around the table on the fact that it seemed complicated to extend the possibility of holding referendums on societal subjects such as immigration”added Fabien Roussel, leader of the Communist Party. “The president is not currently considering this possibility”said Jordan Bardella, of the National Rally, the only participant present to demand this consultation.

Emmanuel Macron also discussed the international situation at length on Friday with the party leaders who were present for the second “Saint-Denis meetings”before getting to the heart of the matter on broadening the scope of the referendum and institutional reforms.