Richard Ferrand, chosen by Emmanuel Macron to become president of the Constitutional Council, must be subject to the vote of parliamentarians, this Wednesday. A ballot in the specific methods, capable of switching the outcome of the vote.
The annoyance has been palpable within the political class since the appointment of Richard Ferrand for the presidency of the Constitutional Council, proposed by Emmanuel Macron. In both rooms, its name is indeed far from unanimous. Deputies and senators criticize him for his proximity to the president, his involvement in the case of the mutuals of Brittany and his lack of solid expertise in law.
In view of these reproaches, the apprehension rises for the former president of the National Assembly, with regard to the most reassembled political groups against his candidacy, in this case the oppositions on the left and the right. The national rally has decided to abstain. The two commissions with 25 LR, 16 RN and 38 members of the NFP, their votes has a certain chance of switching the outcome of the ballot.
In order for his candidacy to be validated, Richard Ferrand should not bring together against him a number of negative votes greater than the 3/5th of the votes cast, that is to say to the exclusion of abstentions, white or zero votes, reports Public Senate. In total, the two commissions have 122 commissioners, including 49 senators and 73 deputies. If all parliamentarians are expressed during the ballot, beyond 74 votes against, the candidacy of Richard Ferrand will be rebuilt.
A latent suspense
But in the history of the Constitutional Council, a refusal would be unprecedented. Of all the appointments proposed by the Élysée and submitted to validation of the Parliament, only Boris Ravignon, at the head of the agency of the ecological transition, saw his candidacy rejected in 2023. If Richard Ferrand knows the same outcome, Emmanuel Macron will still have time to present other names – more consensual – before the end of Laurent Fabius’s mandate on March 7, 2025.
However, a detail on the ballot risks disrupting the vote. Because to avoid distorting the game, the bulletins will be stripped in real time in the National Assembly and in the Senate, at the same time. This is why, there will also be a question of a hand -up vote – a method used when looking for maximum speed – but a secret ballot. The parliamentarians of the different groups will therefore be free to follow the instructions of their parties … or to break them.