Parliament Confirms Buffet as Défenseur des Droits Despite Protest Petition

The joint law committees of the National Assembly and Senate counted votes and confirmed President Macron's nomination of Les Républicains senator François-Noël Buffet as Défenseur des Droits (national ombudsman), with the Senate committee backing him 43 votes to 39. Buffet succeeds Claire Hédon for a six-year term. More than 150,000 people had signed a petition opposing the nomination, and civil-society groups including AIDES and Act Up-Paris protested in the Luxembourg Gardens the morning of the vote, citing Buffet's past opposition to same-sex marriage and his support for the 2024 immigration law. Buffet told the National Assembly's legal committee on July 15 that he had "evolved" on some social issues and pledged to exercise the role with full independence.