A debate on the crisis in Ukraine is being held on Tuesday March 1 in the National Assembly and the Senate. Officially, this consultation of parliamentarians will serve to “inform”, according to the terminology used at the Elysée. This meeting was demanded by the opposition. The executive summoned him on the basis of article 50-1 of the Constitution. It provides that the government can make a delegation followed by an exchange and possibly a vote, but which in any case would not engage its responsibility.
Informing the opposition was also the subject of the meeting on Monday at Matignon of most of the presidential candidates around Jean Castex. Valérie Pécresse, Eric Zemmour, Yannick Jadot, Marine Le Pen, Anne Hidalgo and a few others, they were all there, or almost. And the Prime Minister had a mission, in a “spirit of transparency and accountability” he said, to give them all the information. Please note, only the “useful information”… And “usefulness”, it is precisely the government that judges this.
So these are formal consultations. As in every military conflict, it is the president, almost alone, who decides on France’s policy. There is no co-decision with Parliament. Especially since, let us remember, France is not at war with Russia. If this were the case, under article 35 of the Constitution, the government would be required to inform Parliament there too and to specify the war aims, at the latest three days after the start of the intervention. . Parliament must also be consulted for any extension of the engagement of armed forces beyond four months.
But in the present case, therefore, no war, no sending of troops. And yet very heavy decisions have already been taken within the framework of the defense councils convened by Emmanuel Macron in recent days. In particular arms deliveries to Ukraine.
It is understandable that these strategic decisions are confidential, of course. Especially in an emergency context dictated by the speed and intensity of the Russian attack. Nevertheless, our institutions have something monarchical that is obvious, even more so during a presidential campaign. As illustrated, for example, by the message from the Head of State read Friday to the two Assemblies to announce a “major geopolitical and historical turning point”… a few days before formalizing his candidacy! In this period of acceleration fueled by social networks, one has the impression that parliamentarians are sometimes among the last informed. And that they learn more, and especially faster, by reading Emmanuel Macron’s Twitter account where he told his phone calls to Vladimir Putin and President Zelensky on Monday.