“François Bayrou is not looking to save time. I reject this idea! »Force, with vigor, a relative of the Prime Minister. His proposal to organize a referendum on public finances, formulated in an interview with our colleagues from the JDD, this Sunday, was welcomed with skepticism – it is an euphemism – by the political class.
“It’s great anything!” », Eric Coquerel (LFI), Chairman of the Finance Committee in the National Assembly, was in the National Assembly. Same reluctance, to the right of the political spectrum. “There is no need for referendum to find out that the French have enough tax increases,” added Laurent Wauquiez. ” Alright ! But what do they offer? Do we retort in the entourage of the Prime Minister. The French are not children. They must decide on the efforts to be made to redress public finances. »»
Two options under study
According to our information, two options are being studied. The first would be to introduce into the Constitution a “budget gold rule”. In 2007, the Béarnais, then presidential candidate, already defended this idea to prohibit a government from presenting – outside of recession – an operating budget in deficit. He even wanted such a practice to become illegal and sanctionable by the Constitutional Council and the Court of Auditors.
“It is quite violent as an approach,” admits the relative of the Prime Minister, aforementioned. But it might allow us to cool the engine. And to establish the democratic legitimacy of the Prime Minister, disputed in the National Assembly, before bringing the debate potentially unpopular measures, within the framework of the development of the budget for 2026. However, the text will be voted upstream in identical terms by the National Assembly and the Senate (article 89 of the Constitution). Until now, only the transition to the five -year -old, in 2000, was organized according to this procedure.
Budgetary measures torn by referendum?
The second option would be to consult the French on “fifteen major measures” which would allow a rebalancing of state budgetary expenses – the government is looking for 40 billion euros in additional savings for next year. “Why could we not question the population about the flat-rate reduction of 10 % for professional expenses of retirees?” The gradual reimbursement of drugs? Etc. »»
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For the time being, the format of this second option is not stopped. “This can range from the digital consultation thanks to the Agora application (set up by the government to” dialogue with the citizens “) to the referendum path”, explains in Paris Match the entourage of the Prime Minister. And for good reason, many constitutionalists doubt the feasibility of such a proposal. It is “fairly absurd”, thus judged the lecturer in public law Benjamin Morel – the vote of the budget being an exclusive prerogative of the parliament.
“Did we come out of the closet?” »We severely question in the entourage of the Prime Minister. Before concluding as follows: “It must be, if not the affair of the century, the affair of the year”. Nothing less! It must be said that in his ascent of the Himalayas -as François Bayrou likes to say -, the government would have nothing against an anti -fall safety strap, allowing it to escape the censorship of the deputies. And the downstream of the French is one. It is still necessary to convince the only person who can constitutionally start a referendum: the President of the Republic.
