Overview
- On Friday, October 16, deputies from the Rassemblement national and the Union des droites pour la République formally sent a saisine to the Conseil constitutionnel asking doyen d'âge Alain Juppé to trigger Richard Ferrand’s 'démission d'office'.
- They base the request on Ferrand’s October 9 Club des juristes remarks that using article 11 to rewrite the Constitution would not work, which the deputies say breaks the Conseil’s duty of neutrality under article 7 of the 1958 ordonnance and provisions of decree n°59‑1292.
- The letter asks Juppé to launch the Council’s internal removal procedure; the Conseil constitutionnel has said it will not comment publicly and no removal has been made.
- Marine Le Pen publicly demanded Ferrand step down after his comments but did not sign the deputies’ letter, while most RN and UDR deputies are reported to have signed it.
- Beyond the individual case, the move signals a tactical effort to contest who can decide constitutional change and could politicize the Council’s reputation as parties head into the 2027 electoral cycle.