LR Deputies Unanimously Oppose Richard Ferrand’s Nomination to Constitutional Council
The deputies of the Les Républicains (LR) group in the National Assembly have unanimously decided to oppose the appointment of Richard Ferrand to the head of the Constitutional Council, announced Laurent Wauquiez, the president of the LR group in the Assembly, on Wednesday, February 19.
"This is an individual who poses an ethical problem, an impartiality problem, and a problem because he has no legal expertise," continued the candidate for the leadership of the right-wing party.
Richard Ferrand is scheduled to be interviewed by members of parliament on Wednesday by the law commissions of the Assembly and the Senate. On February 13, Laurent Wauquiez, the leader of the LR deputies, had declared that the "profile" of the former president of the National Assembly (2018-2022) was "problematic."
"This is an individual who comes from the Socialist Party, who was one of the main political supporters of Macronism," the deputy from Haute-Loire stated about this close associate of the President of the Republic, estimating that for this reason "the risk is that the decisions of the Council will be seen as political."
On February 10, Emmanuel Macron proposed the name of Richard Ferrand, a 62-year-old and early supporter of Macron’s political movement, to take over the presidency of the Constitutional Council and succeed Laurent Fabius. This choice quickly caused a stir.
The decision of LR parliamentarians, particularly in the Senate, could be decisive for Richard Ferrand. For his candidacy to be rejected, three-fifths of the votes cast by the parliamentarians of the two commissions would have to oppose it, i.e., at least 74 votes out of a total of 122 – a very rare situation in Parliament.
However, the hypothesis has gained momentum in recent days following the positions taken by LR deputies and senators against his nomination, either because of his proximity to Emmanuel Macron or because of his profile, which is deemed insufficiently solid on legal and constitutional issues.
The current president of the National Assembly, Yaël Braun-Pivet, called on parliamentarians to base their decision on the hearings: "I’m tired of seeing the games played before they’re even over. It’s important to see what happens in the hearing."
"I’ve already seen parliamentarians change their minds, one way or another, based on the hearing. I never play the game before the kickoff," she told the press at the National Assembly.
While Richard Ferrand should be able to count on the essential votes of the groups of the former majority supporting Emmanuel Macron (EPR-Horizons-MoDem), the left should, on the contrary, largely vote against his nomination in both chambers.
The National Rally, which has sixteen deputies in the Law Commission, has not taken a public stance. The entourage of President Marine Le Pen, who deplored the "drift" of appointing politicians to the Constitutional Council, argues that RN elected officials will decide based on Richard Ferrand’s responses to their questions on Wednesday.
