Europe 1 with AFP 10:46 a.m., September 8, 2022

The President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron, announced this Thursday during the National Council for Refoundation (CNR), the launch of a "very broad national consultation".

Objective, to put the French "within the great choices of the nation".

President Emmanuel Macron announced on Thursday the launch "as of next week" of a "very broad national consultation" online and on the ground to put the French "within the major choices of the nation".

The Head of State made this announcement just before opening the National Council for Refoundation (CNR) in Marcoussis (Essonne) behind closed doors, believing that this major consultation "will complement today's meeting" and the territorial versions of the CNR.

Debate on the ground

"We are going to open a very broad national consultation next week, which will be online, which will be open" and "I hope that there will be debates on the ground which can be online, which can be open. All that deserves transparency, openness," said Emmanuel Macron.

A site dedicated to the CNR must also be launched in the evening, according to the Elysée.

While this new body is shunned at its opening by the oppositions and several unions, Emmanuel Macron judged that the absentees were "wrong".

But he assured that "the door will always be open" for further discussions.

"52 people representing political forces, trade unions and elected officials have been invited, forty are there. The 12 who are not there are wrong (...) and we must not explain afterwards that we have not been consulted, or that it's too vertical," said the head of state.

"Building Trust"

On the holding of the debates behind closed doors, which some participants would have requested, the president explained that "the key (was) to install confidence" and that he had therefore "left the choice" to them behind closed doors or not.

Emmanuel Macron did not rule out that proposals resulting from the debates of the CNR could "lead to referendums".

"I do not exclude anything (...) if the process that we are launching today allows us to follow up on this, we will do it".

After the CNR, there will be a "collective birth" phase to "create consensus" and "say what we agree on and disagree on".

"There is at the same time a part of action", he said: "From the next few weeks, we will change the school, health, thanks to its territorial variations, by building these maps (of road ). So yes, it can also lead to referendums".