During a speech on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the Constitution of the Fifth Republic, Emmanuel Macron spoke this Wednesday, October 4, of avenues for revision. Sweeping away the idea of a transition towards a Sixth Republic, sometimes requested on the left, the head of state affirmed that we “do not revise the Constitution under the influence of emotion”. L’Express takes stock of the announcements.
Extension of the referendum
Among the main announcements, Emmanuel Macron wants a “simplification” of the use of the shared initiative referendum and the broadening of article 11 of the Constitution, in order to broaden the fields of application of the referendum.
Status of New Caledonia and Corsica
Referring to New Caledonia, Emmanuel Macron affirmed that the archipelago would be the subject of a “constitutional revision for sure”. As for Corsica, “its singularity opens the way to a form of autonomy in the Republic”, announced the head of state.
“Indivisible does not mean uniform […] our unity will only be stronger. All overseas territories must also be better taken into account”. The President of the Republic also indicated that he wanted to “rethink” the territorial organization and open “a new stage of decentralization”.
Constitutionalization of abortion
President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday hoped that the inclusion in the Constitution of the right to abortion would be completed “as soon as possible”. “I expressed my wish, on March 8, that we could find a text agreeing the points of view between the National Assembly and the Senate and allowing a Congress to be convened in Versailles,” underlined the Head of State . “I hope that this work of bringing together points of view will resume and be completed as soon as possible,” he added.
Among the other subjects raised: the idea of including climate protection in the constitution, but also to soon discuss the question of “the independence of the public prosecutor’s office and the improvement of the legislative procedure”.
“The Republic must be capable of answering the questions of its destiny,” concluded Emmanuel Macron. Earlier, Laurent Fabius, the President of the Constitutional Council took the floor to evoke a “democratic malaise”, “without doubt not devoid of link with our institutions and their practice”, as an introduction to the presentation of these possible revisions .