Macron Nominates Senator Buffet as Défenseur des Droits, Sparking Backlash

President Macron proposed Les Républicains senator François-Noël Buffet, prefect-turned-lawmaker from the Rhône, to succeed Claire Hédon as Défenseur des Droits (national ombudsman) when her six-year mandate expires in late July. The nomination drew immediate opposition from more than 50 associations — including Greenpeace France, SOS Racisme, and Planning Familial — and over 110,000 petition signatures within days, citing Buffet's past votes against marriage equality and medically assisted reproduction, and his support for tougher migration policy. Left-wing parties called the choice a "provocation." The Senate and National Assembly law committees were scheduled to hear Buffet and vote on the nomination on July 15, with a two-thirds majority needed to reject it.