Since the start of the conflict, neither deputies nor senators have been called upon to comment on Emmanuel Macron’s choices.
They talked about it a little, rarely, in the Assembly as in the Senate, but no decision was put to the vote. This may come as a surprise given what is at stake, especially since the European Parliament frequently takes up the subject, debates arms deliveries to the Ukrainians, and votes on resolutions or sanctions against Russia.
There was indeed a first debate in the Assembly, in the middle of the presidential campaign, on March 1, 2022. It was a week after the start of the Russian offensive. There was another on October 3. But each time without a vote. And this is normal since nothing in the Constitution obliges the Head of State to submit his military choices to Parliament. This is the reserved domain of the chief of the armies. The executive is only obliged to turn to Parliament in one case: to inform it of the engagement of our forces abroad, in an external theater of operation. And again, he can do it up to three days after the start of the intervention. In short, parliamentarians are faced with a fait accompli. And there too, it is a debate without a vote. If the operation is prolonged, the government must return to Parliament after four months to obtain a new authorization.
But this scenario does not concern the war in Ukraine since France does not send troops on the ground. She is not at war with Russia and does not even consider herself a co-belligerent.
Does the opposition really want a debate on this conflict?
At the end of January, the president of the LR group, Olivier Marleix, and Mathilde Panot who heads that of the rebellious, wished it well. But they didn’t ask for it too loudly. For at least two reasons. Firstly because the rebellious, like the National Rally, would have a lot to lose if their culpable indulgence towards Vladimir Putin resurfaces. They have been struggling for a year trying to bury this heavy past…
And basically, Emmanuel Macron is not the most warmongering of Western leaders. He supports Ukraine but repeats that he does not want “Crush Russia”, to prepare for future peace. A restrained position that more or less suits his supporters as well as his opponents. At the same time…