Jean-Noël Barrot calls for "power to be returned to the French"

Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot argued on Sunday for "returning power to the French" ahead of the 2027 presidential election, warning of the risk of the vote being hijacked by extremist parties. Speaking at a day of debates entitled "Festival of Democracy," held in Versailles before several hundred participants, the vice-president of the MoDem party asserted that the National Rally (RN) and La France Insoumise (LFI) represented "two different poisons" but both "deadly to democracy."

According to him, each of these political camps relies on the designation of "scapegoats," notably targeting "foreigners" for the National Rally (RN) or "the rich" for La France Insoumise (LFI). In this context, Jean-Noël Barrot spoke of a "democratic fatigue" in France, which he attributes to "decades of blindness on the part of the elites" to the transformations of the world and the rise of discontent among the middle and working classes.

To address this, the minister proposed a series of reforms, including calls for greater decentralization of the state, an overhaul of the social contract between generations, and the implementation of mandatory civic or military service. He also suggested that these measures be submitted to a referendum within the first 100 days of the next presidential term, believing that such a commitment would be necessary to restore public trust.

Present alongside him, former Prime Minister François Bayrou argued that the country's recovery could not occur without the direct involvement of citizens in political decisions. Other speakers, including the President of the National Assembly, Yaël Braun-Pivet, also advocated for strengthening democracy, particularly through a greater role for Parliament and increased participation from citizens and local elected officials.