LIVE. Referendum, end of life, Ukraine: Emmanuel Macron meets the French on TF1

The president will be surrounded by 100 square meters of screens. CGT general secretary Sophie Binet will speak on pension reform; YouTuber Tibo Inshape will speak on school sports; journalist Charles Biétry, who suffers from Lou Gehrig's disease, will speak on the end of life; and Cécile Duflot, director of the anti-inequality NGO Oxfam, will speak on a possible inheritance tax.

A weightlifter will question her about wearing the veil, TF1 further states on its website. As will journalist Salomé Saqué about the environment and Béziers mayor Robert Ménard about security.

Will he cross the Rubicon of a referendum this time, a temptation often expressed since 2017 but never followed through? "Yes," according to some close associates. Emmanuel Macron had indicated in his 2025 New Year's wishes that the French would be forced to "decide" on key issues.

A temptation all the greater since the government no longer has a majority in the National Assembly. Emmanuel Macron is reportedly considering several simultaneous questions on various topics to defuse the use of this tool that no president has dared to use since 2005 and the victory of the "no" vote on the European Constitution.

Children's screen time, end of life, territorial reform, immigration... speculation is rife about possible topics and their feasibility, while the exercise remains highly regulated.

After his time in the wilderness following the dissolution of the National Assembly, Emmanuel Macron intends to show that he has regained control and is once again essential in the domestic political arena, while his Prime Minister François Bayrou appears increasingly eclipsed.

"Because the international context is very tense, there is a need to be agile, reaching out to the national level," summarizes a source close to him, pointing to the president's "capacity for leadership" beyond his exclusive domain of foreign policy.

There's also hope for a rebound at home, after reaching record unpopularity last fall in the wake of the failed dissolution. "You can't change your nature, it comes back at a gallop. His goal is to remain president until the last second," adds another member of the government.

Ukraine, social issues, pensions, public finances... Emmanuel Macron, who continues his quest to win back public opinion, has a meeting with the French people in a major program Tuesday evening on TF1 during which he could bring up the referendum card, a first in 20 years.

The Head of State will answer questions for two and a half hours , starting at 8:10 p.m., from presenter Gilles Bouleau, from figures from civil society - influencers, business leaders, union leaders, young journalists working on environmental issues, mayors - and from French people in "Emmanuel Macron - The Challenges of France."