The former president of the French National Assembly, Richard Ferrand—who is very close to President Emmanuel Macron but is best known to the French for his involvement in a high-profile corruption scandal in 2017—just made a statement that sparked a heated debate: He would be in favour of a third term for the current president: a scenario that, as things stand, is not allowed by the constitution. He has since been asked to clarify his position.
Richard Ferrand, who served as president of the National Assembly from 2018 to 2022, and who now has executive responsibilities on the Renaissance Party board, gave a lengthy interview to Le Figaro on Sunday, June 18th. Posing with a serious air in front of magnificent shelves full of precious old books—in reality, a simple wallpaper using a photo from an image bank—the former referee of the deputies gives his vision for and thoughts about the current state of French political life. This interview is his first time speaking to the media since his defeat in the legislative elections in the spring of 2022.
In the guise of a wise man who has returned from battle, he paints an extremely glowing portrait of the actions of Emmanuel Macron and his camp and hails the “modernisation drive” coming from above. He castigates the ineffectiveness of oppositions and advocates a kind of post-political world, where ideological differences should give way to a ‘sacred union’ made indispensable by the country’s need to reform itself.
In his mind, France needs a saviour to be reformed. And Macron is the man. Yet, the French constitution, as it currently stands, prohibits a president from serving more than two consecutive terms. This means that Emmanuel Macron will not be able to stand in the next presidential elections, scheduled for 2027. Richard Ferrand explains that he regrets this situation in barely veiled terms:
On a personal level, I regret anything that restricts the free expression of popular sovereignty. The time limit on the presidential term of office, the non-accumulation of terms of office, etc … All these things bind our public life into rules that restrict the free choice of citizens.
He then suggested changing the constitutional rules: “Let’s change all that,” he declared in a voluntarist tone.
These few words were enough to set off a media storm: the former president of the National Assembly, known for being one of the president’s closest advisers, who is sometimes suggested to become prime minister one day, would like to change the constitution to allow Emmanuel Macron to stay in power longer.
The left-wing NUPES coalition immediately denounced Macron’s “imperial” ambitions. On the Right, while the references differ, the feeling is similar: “Changing the Constitution to allow himself to stay in power … the last two to have done so are Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin … so this is Emmanuel Macron’s ‘democratic’ plan?” denounced LR senator Alain Houpert.
The day after his interview was published in Le Figaro, Richard Ferrand was quick to clarify his comments and deny the plan he was being accused of, deeming it “appalling to see social networks and lazy media getting worked up over a stupid proposal that I am not making.”
“My comment was not to say that the rules had to be changed for 2027,” he added in his defence.
In any case, the speed and scale of public reaction to the underlying themes of Richard Ferrand’s interview proves that the question of Emmanuel Macron’s staying in power is a sensitive one.
The Putin-like scenario implicitly suggested by Ferrand revives a persistent rumour that has been circulating in the French political press for several weeks: that Emmanuel Macron has no intention of relinquishing power and is considering every possible avenue to staying in office. The rumour was launched at the end of 2022 by a former Socialist Minister of Justice, Jean-Jacques Urvoas, a specialist in public law: in the midst of a social conflict over pensions, Macron is said to be considering resigning so that he can stand for re-election in the same breath, on the grounds that he has not served two full terms in office.
This rumour finds its credibility in the absence of a politically credible profile to succeed Emmanuel Macron as head of state. The question raised by Richard Ferrand’s controversial remarks remains unanswered to this day: is Macronism now in a position to offer Emmanuel Macron an heir?
