One of the French president’s closest political allies, Emmanuel Macron, has sparked controversy after calling for constitutional amendments that would allow the president to take a third presidential term.
Former President of the National Assembly Richard Ferrand said:newspaper “Figaro” He opposes a two-term presidential term limit, which means Macron could run again in 2027.
He added, “From my personal point of view, I am against anything that restricts the will of the people,” drawing criticism from political opponents and commentators.
Ferrand criticized presidential term limits, as well as new laws introduced in 2014 that prevent deputies and senators from holding the posts of presidents of municipalities or regions, as he believed that “all this imposes restrictions on our public life, which limits the freedom to choose citizens.”
He continued: “Let’s change all that while retaining the bicameral system and the Constitutional Council, the guardian of our republican principles and public liberties.”
Officials on both the left and the right have accused Ferrand, one of Macron’s early political supporters, of copying the tactics and language of authoritarian leaders.
Mathilde Bannot, head of the far-left Proud France party, said Ferrand represented “the face of the authoritarian bias under Macron’s rule.”
On Monday, Richard Ferran issued a new statement saying that “It is alarming that social media and the lazy media are busy with a stupid offer that I didn’t make in my Le Figaro interview.”
Added to Interview “Radio Sud” He did not propose any changes until the next presidential election scheduled for 2027.
“You can’t change the rules in the middle of a game. It makes no sense,” he stressed.
Ferrand was the victim of an anti-Macron vote in the latest legislative elections last June as the centrist president lost his majority in the National Assembly.
Since then, the former deputy has not appeared, but still plays an advisory role in the president’s inner circle.
Source: AFP.