PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron told his cabinet on Wednesday that he was considering a referendum to pass laws and break the political deadlock caused by the hung parliament in the country.
Macron told cabinet members he would hold negotiations with all rival political leaders next week in a bid to draw up draft legislation but also referendums, AFP reported, citing sources.
The 45-year-old Macron announced in early August that he was planning a big political initiative after his summer holidays.
The government has succeeded in negotiating some new legislation with the support of opposition parties, but the president’s flagship pension reform earlier this year had to be rammed through using emergency executive powers — angering many voters.
The president, who likes to claim reforming the country is part of his political DNA, is desperate to relaunch his second and final tenure in office, which has been bogged down following his failure to get a majority in parliamentary polls in June last year.
Rumors About Referendum
Rumors about referendums have been circulated before during his 6 years in power, especially after the so-called “Yellow Vest” anti-government protests in 2018-2019 when the centrist tried to reduce the number of national legislators.
