Macron kickstarts ‘great debate’ to win back French

GRAND BOURGTHEROULDE, France: French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday attempted to turn the corner on two months of often violent anti-government protests by launching a nationwide debate over the grievances fuelling the "yellow vest" movement.

Macron will travel to the northern town of Grand Bourgtheroulde to kickstart a "great national debate", the central plank of his bid to turn around his embattled presidency.

The 41-year-old centrist is hoping that by returning to the sort of participative democracy he championed during his grassroots election campaign he will take the heat out of the yellow vest revolt, which enjoys widespread support. He will meet with 600 mayors who will relay the concerns aired by residents in their towns and villages.

The meeting sounds the start of two months of public consultations in towns and villages across the country on four main themes: taxation; France's transition to a low-carbon economy; democracy and citizenship, and the functioning of the state and public services.

Security was tight for his visit in Grand Bourgtheroulde, a town of 3,500 people about 30 kilometres from the city of Rouen where a yellow vest demonstration on Saturday ended in clashes with police.

Macron, who has avoided public gatherings since being booed during two outings in December, was expected to spend more than two hours listening to the mayors' feedback. In an open letter to the French on Sunday listing more than 30 questions for debate he said he hoped "as many as possible" would participate in townhall-style discussions around the country.

Assuring that there were "no forbidden questions" he said: "We won't agree on everything, that's normal, that's democracy. But at least we´ll show we are a people who are not afraid to talk, exchange and debate."

Following the two-month debate Macron said he would come up with a "new contract for the nation".