"Great national debate": Emmanuel Macron goes Thursday in the Drôme

Emmanuel Macron is expected Thursday in the Drôme to participate in a third meeting as part of the "big national debate", whose format will be more restricted than for the first two, announced Tuesday the Elysee.

The head of state will discuss during a lunch at the prefecture in Valencia with "all the presidents of associations of mayors and rural mayors of the 12 departments of the region" Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, said the presidency . Also invited are the parliamentarians of the Drôme, as well as the president of the Region, Laurent Wauquiez, leader of the Republicans, and the president of the Departmental Council of Drôme, Marie-Pierre Mouton (LR).

Three ministers will accompany the president. The format of this consultation is thus "a little smaller" than during the first two debates organized with the president, Grand Bourgtheroulde, January 15 and Souillac 18, said Sebastien Lecornu, Minister of Territorial Communities and co-host of great debate. They had both gathered more than 600 mayors and lasted more than 6:30.

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In addition to Sébastien Lecornu, Emmanuel Macron will be accompanied by Minister of Territorial Cohesion Jacqueline Gourault and Minister of Agriculture Didier Guillaume. "We continue to work with mayors," said Sebastien Lecornu, interviewed at the end of a meeting with the LREM group in the National Assembly.

Emmanuel Macron wants to meet mayors from all over France. Emmanuel Macron "has decided to continue to immerse himself (...) in this direct link between these familiar faces of the Republic and the democracy that are (...) the mayors.It is an interesting, effective model. The length of the debates testifies to the need and the desire to have a dialogue with the President, which is something that we are going to inscribe in the long term, "he said.

Emmanuel Macron has announced his intention to meet mayors from all over France by the end of mid-March, the big debate he announced in response to the anger of the "yellow vests".