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French constitutional revision dispute

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2026-10-15 20:04 UTC → 2026-10-16 14:22 UTC · added ~~removed~~

A political dispute has emerged in France regarding the legal procedure for constitutional revisions. Richard Ferrand, President of the Constitutional Council, rejected a proposal by the Rassemblement National (RN) to utilize Article 11 of the Constitution to implement policies such as migration reforms and national preference via referendum. Ferrand argued that constitutional amendments must instead follow Article 89, which necessitates identical votes from both the National Assembly and the Senate. He noted that while Article 11 was used by General de Gaulle in 1962, the Constitutional Council now holds the authority to judge the legality of referendum decrees, which could block such attempts. In response, RN leaders have demanded Ferrand’s resignation. Marine Le Pen accused him of violating the obligation of neutrality, while Jordan Bardella criticized him for failing his duty of reserve. The RN maintains that the public should be able to decide directly on major institutional orientations to bypass parliamentary deadlocks. Expanding the conflict, parliamentarians from the RN and the Union des droites pour la République (UDR) have formally petitioned the Constitutional Council to demand the forced resignation of Ferrand. The RN and UDR argue that Ferrand breached his duty of impartiality by publicly taking a position on a legal matter that may eventually fall under the Council's jurisdiction. They have appealed to the Council's eldest member, Alain Juppé, citing regulations that prohibit members from expressing public opinions on issues likely to be subject to Council decisions, claiming his remarks undermine the institution's integrity.

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