The President of the Senate, Gérard Larcher, has presented a series of proposals for institutional reform, aiming to spark a debate on the topic that he deems as a priority. This comes at a time when President Emmanuel Macron seems to have abandoned the idea of a major reform of the institutional framework, and the National Assembly is struggling to reach a consensus on democratic renewal issues under its president, Yaël Braun-Pivet. Larcher’s proposals focus on constitutional changes related to the use of referendums, the functioning of Parliament, local authorities, and the relationship with the executive branch.
A group of transpartisan lawmakers held around ten meetings at the Luxembourg Palace between the fall of 2022 and April 2024, resulting in a report by the chairman of the law commission, François Noël-Buffet. However, these proposals seem to be a reiteration of a Senate report presented to the President in January 2018 for a constitutional reform, which was ultimately abandoned. The current proposals include ideas such as allowing the cumulative holding of mandates, lowering the threshold for the referendum of shared initiative signatures, regulating the use of executive orders, clarifying rules on conflicts of interest for local elected officials, and ending the lifelong presence of former Presidents as members of the Constitutional Council.
The proposals put forth by the Senate mainly represent the views of the right and center parties, which hold the majority in the Senate. For Bruno Retailleau, the president of the Senate Republicans, constitutional reform means addressing the “derailments” of the Fifth Republic’s Constitution, which he believes has been altered by too many revisions. These proposals touch on a variety of constitutional issues and are supported by a majority of votes in the Senate, according to Gérard Larcher. However, they may face opposition from other political factions and may ultimately require further debate and negotiation to be implemented.
The question of the cumulative holding of mandates is highlighted as a “red line” in the proposals put forth at the Luxembourg Palace. This issue, along with other constitutional reforms, reflects the right-leaning perspective of the Senate. The current debate surrounding institutional reform is taking place against a backdrop of political disagreements and competing visions for the future of French democracy. The Senate’s proposals represent one possible path forward, but they will need to be further discussed and potentially revised to gain broader support and be implemented effectively.
In light of the challenges facing the reform of France’s institutional framework, Gérard Larcher has taken the initiative to propose a series of constitutional changes aimed at reinvigorating the public debate on this important issue. While these proposals may face opposition and require further discussion and negotiation, they represent an attempt to address longstanding issues within the French political system. Only time will tell whether these proposals will lead to real changes in the country’s institutions, or whether they will ultimately be sidelined or watered down in the face of political resistance.
