PARIS, Feb. 15 (Reuters) – Emmanuel Macron has proposed the appointment of his Minister for Territorial Cohesion, Jacqueline Gourault, to the Constitutional Council, the Elysee Palace announced in a press release on Tuesday.
Aged 71, member of the MoDem and close to François Bayrou, Jacqueline Gourault, present in the government since the beginning of the five-year term, should replace Nicole Maestracci, magistrate appointed in 2013 by François Hollande.
The President of the National Assembly, Richard Ferrand (LaRem), announced for his part in a press release that he had proposed the appointment of Véronique Malbec.
High magistrate and director of the cabinet of the Minister of Justice Eric Dupond-Moretti, Véronique Malbec will succeed Claire Bazy-Malaurie, initially appointed in 2010 by the UMP Bernard Accoyer and renewed in 2013 by the socialist Claude Bartolone, who had succeeded him in “perch”.
For his part, the President of the Senate, Gérard Larcher (LR), announced in a press release that he was considering the appointment of François Séners, State Councilor, to replace the magistrate Dominique Lottin, whom he himself had appointed in 2017.
These three appointments have yet to be approved by the law commissions of the Assembly and the Senate.
The Constitutional Council has nine members appointed for nine years and renewed by thirds every three years. It is currently chaired by Laurent Fabius, appointed by François Hollande in 2016.
The former Presidents of the Republic are ex officio members of this institution, which has in particular been regularly seized in recent months on the texts of laws devoted to the management of the pandemic and ensures the smooth running of the presidential election.
(Written by Myriam Rivet, edited by Blandine Hénault)