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French official due to lead 'yellow vests' debate quits in pay row

Chantal Jouanno stood down after furore over revelation she is paid €14,700 a month to head France's National Commission for Public Debate.

La rédaction de Mediapart

This article is freely available.

The official appointed by the French government to lead a national debate over the grievances raised by 'yellow vest' protesters quit on Tuesday following a controversy over her salary, reports Yahoo! News.

Former sports minister Chantal Jouanno said she could not guarantee conditions for a calm debate as she had become a focus of attention after a news magazine revealed she was paid 14,700 euros (13,225 pounds) per month to head France's National Commission for Public Debate.

The Commission is a consultative body on environmental issues.

The 'yellow vests' debate is due to be launched next week, giving President Emmanuel Macron little time to appoint a successor.

The debate, whose precise mechanisms remain unclear, is one of the key proposals he made last month in response to the wave of violent protests that has spread across the country since November.

Read more of this Reuters report published by Yahoo! News.