The French government is beginning to experience in practice what it means to lose its absolute majority in the National Assembly.
From 12-13 July, between Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning, the National Assembly was defeated on an important aspect of its health policy by the combined action of the three main opposition forces: the Rassemblement National, the NUPES, and Les Républicains.
The law setting out the provisions for the COVID-19 pandemic in France is due to expire on July 31st. On that date, the state of emergency should normally end throughout the country. The issue was to determine what restrictions would be maintained afterwards.
The RN, the NUPES, and Les Républicains voted against the government’s advice to keep open the possibility of a vaccination pass for minors traveling to or from abroad in the event of a pandemic outbreak.
The vote on the post COVID-emergency amendments was won by those in favour of raising the age to 18, by 196 votes to 183. The result of the vote was greeted by thunderous applause from the benches of the parties that had proposed it. After a break, the proceedings resumed in a calm atmosphere. Indeed, even if this is an apparently secondary point of the health system, the symbolism of this vote is very strong: it is the first time since the beginning of the pandemic that the government has faced major opposition on its health policy in the National Assembly.
Renaissance, the government’s ex-LREM party, is in turmoil over this resistance and the seemingly unlikely alliance among the far Left, the Right, and the national Right. Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne reacted very violently on Twitter: “This is a serious time. By joining forces to vote against measures to protect the French against the COVID, LFI, the LR and the RN are preventing any border control against the virus. After the incredulity of this vote, I will fight for the spirit of responsibility to prevail in the Senate,” she said.
Members of the government majority also blasted the “alliance of extremes,” forgetting that in this particular vote, the Republicans had made common cause with the RN and NUPES.
These murderous tweets were followed by a myriad of comments reminding Borne that this was, after all, only the expression of a democratic vote by the opposition, and that it was time for Emmanuel Macron’s party to lose the habit of believing itself to be in possession of absolute and unlimited power. Borne was also teased for her apparent concern for borders, since Macron’s border policy, in terms of immigration during the five last years, couldn’t be more complacent.
Despite the opposition’s victory on this particular point, all the other provisions of the text were adopted. The bill must now be examined by the Senate, where Renaissance does not have a majority either.
