Richard Ferrand rejects RN proposal to use Article 11 for constitutional referendums

Richard Ferrand has challenged the Rassemblement National (RN) proposal to use Article 11 of the French Constitution to implement major policy changes, such as national preference and migration reforms, via referendum. Ferrand argues that constitutional revisions must follow the procedure outlined in Article 89, which requires identical votes from both the National Assembly and the Senate before being submitted to a referendum or a parliamentary congress.

The RN, represented by figures like Marine Le Pen and Bruno Retailleau, seeks to use Article 11—which pertains to the organization of public powers—to bypass the Senate, which is currently dominated by right-wing and centrist majorities. RN spokesperson Julien Odoul has criticized this stance, accusing Ferrand and the Constitutional Council of being fearful of popular sovereignty.

Ferrand warned that while General de Gaulle successfully used Article 11 in 1962, the Constitutional Council has since evolved and now possesses the authority to judge the legality of referendum convocation decrees, potentially blocking attempts to use Article 11 for constitutional amendments.