The adoption of a controversial bill on immigration in France, whose measures are claimed as “an ideological victory” by the far right, is causing a serious political crisis within the presidential majority of Emmanuel Macron, a minister having notably resigned.
Epilogue of several months of a tense legislative series, Parliament definitively validated the law on immigration on Tuesday evening, significantly tightening the conditions for the reception of foreigners in France, to the satisfaction of the right and the far right of Marine Le Pen, who sees it as an “ideological victory”.
The text, largely approved in the Senate, was voted on in the Assembly by 349 votes for and 186 against out of 573 voters at the end of a crazy evening, with the voices of the right and the extreme right (National Rally , RN). But 59 majority deputies voted against or abstained.
If “the majority is experiencing a rather painful moment”, according to the President of the National Assembly Yaël Braun-Pivet, government spokesperson Olivier Véran denied any “ministerial rebellion”… while confirming the resignation of the Minister of Health Aurélien Rousseau, unfavorable to the bill.
Other departures could follow. On Tuesday, sources told AFP that several ministers had put “their resignation in the balance” in the event of a vote on the text.
The executive for its part insisted that it would have passed even without the votes of the RN – if its deputies had abstained, Editor’s note -, the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin welcoming the adoption of a text “strong and firm”, “for the protection of the French”, for the “regularization of undocumented workers”.
However, the bill would not have been approved if the RN deputies had voted against it, underline opposition and political commentators.
“I am deeply humanist”, “I ensured that this text respects our values”, defended Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne Wednesday morning on France Inter.
At the same time, she recognized that some of the measures were probably unconstitutional and that the text “would have to evolve” after the examination of the Constitutional Council, which will be seized this Wednesday by the President of the Republic, according to the spokesperson of the government.
On the grill, the Prime Minister strived to ensure that “there is no crisis” within her majority, although several ministers from the “left wing” of Macronie threatened to resign if the text was adopted.
President Macron, who had made this text a test of his ability to reform until the end of his second term, will speak in a television program on Wednesday at the end of the day.
“Defiled Republic”
Re-elected in 2022 ahead of Marine Le Pen with the promise of blocking the far right, the president will have to respond to criticism from those who accuse him of having shattered the Republican front.
“This story will leave deep traces”, “Emmanuel Macron has lost on all counts, said Wednesday Le Figaro (right) in his editorial. »
The left-wing daily Release evoked for his part “the republican affront”, when the front page of Humanity (communist) denounces a “tainted Republic”.
The text, the 30e on immigration in four decades, was intended to be a marker of the “at the same time” dear to Emmanuel Macron, with on one side a repressive component on the expulsion of foreigners in an illegal situation and, on the other, the promise of regularize certain workers in professions in shortage.
But due to the lack of an absolute majority in the assembly, it was considerably toughened to secure the votes of right-wing deputies: the payment of social benefits was restricted, migration quotas established, the automaticity of land law called into question. , an “illegal stay offense” reinstated… Measures welcomed by the National Rally, which sees in them the consecration of its ideological pillar, “the national priority”.
Éric Ciotti, the president of the Republicans (classic right), a party whose ideas are increasingly close to those of the far right, for his part hailed a “historic victory for the right”.
The left-wing opposition castigated the text, with the president of the socialist deputies Boris Vallaud accusing the government of “giving in to the most rancid ideas”. The leader of the radical left Jean-Luc Mélenchon denounced a “sickening victory”.
A recurring subject in France, as elsewhere in Europe, immigration regularly ignites the political class. A very controversial reform on the subject was also the subject of an agreement on Wednesday in Brussels.
France has 5.1 million foreigners in a legal situation, or 7.6% of the population. It hosts more than half a million refugees. The authorities estimate that there are 600,000 to 700,000 illegal immigrants.