Parliament adopts the text resulting from the joint committee

After the Senate, the National Assembly voted on the text with 349 votes for and 186 against.

A victorious epilogue for the government but carrying serious political consequences. Parliament adopted the immigration bill on Tuesday, December 19, with 349 deputies voting for and 186 against, after a favorable vote by the Senate earlier in the evening. The deputies and senators voted on the text resulting from the joint committee (CMP), a tougher version compared to the government’s initial project.

A few hours before the vote, several Renaissance deputies had announced their intention to vote against the text, including a figure from the left wing of the presidential majority, Sacha Houlié, who nevertheless chaired the CMP. In total, twenty deputies from the Renaissance group voted against this text, and 17 others abstained, according to the details of the vote. In MoDem, 30 deputies voted for, five against and 15 abstained. At Horizons, 28 spoke in favor of the text, and two against.

The Republicans and the RN both claim “a victory”

In accordance with what Marine Le Pen announced, the 88 deputies of the National Rally supported this text. The leader of the RN deputies estimated on that the text was “one small step” Who “delivers an indisputable ideological victory” party. The Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, however assured that the text had been adopted by a majority “very large”even by removing the votes of RN deputies. “The majority united. The RN maneuver failed”has on his side asserted the Prime Minister, Elisabeth Borne.

The boss of the Les Républicains party, Eric Ciotti, for his part greeted “a historic victory for the right”. The adopted text takes up several measures demanded by the right, in particular multi-year immigration quotas defined in Parliament, the reinstatement of an offense of illegal residence punishable by a fine. The government also responded to the Republicans’ ultimatums, including a written commitment to reform state medical aid. “at the beginning of 2024”.

The Socialist Party announced immediately after the vote an appeal to the Constitutional Council, an approach that the President of the Republic had already announced.