Yellow Vest protests – Macron considering referendum

President Emmanuel Macron, whose popularity plummeted to an all-time low after a proposed fuel tax rise sparked the nationwide Yellow Vest movement, is considering a strategy coup in the form of a referendum, French media reported on Sunday.

According to French weekly Journal du Dimanche (JDD), which cited a number of unnamed sources in the young leader’s entourage, the ballot papers have already been “pre-ordered” and everyone is now awaiting Macron’s green light to set the machinery for the May 26 referendum in motion. The vote would in that case coincide with the European Parliament elections.

“We’ve taken all the necessary measures,” one source was quoted as saying, while another said that “the chances of a May 26 referendum happening are very high”.

The referendum is likely to contain several questions, inquiring on a number of economic, social and socio-economic issues, and would be the first of its kind in the French Fifth Republic’s history. JDD speculated that such questions might include whether France needs to reduce its number of lawmakers, and whether their mandates should be shortened.

via France 24 / Journal du Dimanche