Nearly two million signatures against the Duplomb law: what impact have other successful petitions had?

The petition against the Duplomb law , which has almost two million signatures, has just been launched. Meanwhile, the inter-union has just launched another petition against the sacrifices imposed on the working world as part of the budget proposal, already signed by more than 225,000 people in just three days.

This enthusiasm for petitions revives an old civic question: does it really serve any purpose? Spoiler: sometimes yes - but rarely on its own.

Never before has an official petition launched on the National Assembly's website reached such a high level. Initiated by a 23-year-old student, the mobilization against the Duplomb law—which authorizes, under certain conditions, the reintroduction of a banned pesticide—has surpassed 1.9 million signatures in just a few weeks.

Result: the text will have to be debated in the Assembly... but without the possibility of amending the law already adopted, as President Yaël Braun-Pivet pointed out. Symbolic, then. But not useless.

This is nothing new: petitions have rarely forced French governments to bend.

Under Hollande, the time of the first victories

Yet, with the digital age, petitions have taken on a new dimension. In 2016, the 400,000 signatories calling for a pardon for Jacqueline Sauvage, convicted of killing her violent husband, contributed to a political shift.

François Hollande would eventually grant her a full pardon . A year earlier, Nora Fraisse's mobilization after the suicide of her daughter Marion, a victim of school bullying , had already led to the creation of a national prevention day and a simplified call number.

The Macron era: between symbolic responses and half-measures

Emmanuel Macron, for his part, sometimes chooses to respond directly to petitioners. During the Yellow Vest crisis, he addressed those calling for the abolition of the carbon tax on Change.org: "You are right." He canceled the planned increase.

But in other cases, the real impact remains uncertain. The petition for extended paternity leave , with tens of thousands of signatures, only led to a concrete announcement in 2020, three years after its launch.

The inclusion of abortion in the Constitution , voted on in March 2024, appears to be more influenced by citizen pressure. Driven by a feminist petition with over 180,000 signatures, it comes in a heated international context, a few months after the United States Supreme Court's decision overturning the federal guarantee of this right. Here, timing made all the difference.

Without political relays, the effect remains limited

But for the digital street to lead to concrete results, it often takes more than just a number. It requires support: in the Assembly, in the media, on the streets. This was the case with the petition against the El Khomri law, which collected more than a million signatures in 2016. It won't stop the bill , but it will force changes.

The "Case of the Century" on climate, with nearly two million supporters , will not shake the executive... but will lead to a judicial condemnation of the State for climate inaction.

A supporting force, but not a decisive weapon

Around the world, large-scale petitions have rarely single-handedly reversed policies. One of the most emblematic remains the 2019 petition in the United Kingdom against Brexit: more than six million signatories… but a resounding political failure.

At best, these massive campaigns fuel debate, but they never replace a balance of power. Without this, even if signed by two million people, a petition is likely to be nothing more than an ignored signal.