Explain Congress to us

Emmanuel Macron convenes the Congress at the Palace of Versailles on Monday with a view to including abortion in the Constitution.

Congress is quite simply the meeting of the two houses of Parliament, the National Assembly and the Senate, in the same place. Three scenarios allow the Congress to be convened: authorize the accession of a State to the European Union, hear a statement from the President of the Republic and with a view to revising the Constitution. It is this third case which brings the Congress together in Versailles on Monday March 4. The objective this time being to include abortion in the Constitution. Since 1958, 21 constitutional amendments have been approved by Congress. To do this, at least three-fifths of the votes cast must be obtained.

How does Congress work?

The President of the Republic convenes the Congress at the Palace of Versailles, in the meeting room of the South Wing. Once the senators and deputies have gathered, the head of state can give a speech. In the case of a revision of the Constitution, it is often the Prime Minister or the Minister of Justice who speaks, to explain the content of the revision.

Small detail, parliamentarians exceptionally sit in alphabetical order, and not by political color, as is usually the case.

Why at the Palace of Versailles?

The place has been part of French political life for a long time. En 1789, Versailles hosted the Estates General, among others. In the 19th century, the Parliamentarians fled the insurrection of the Paris Commune and settled there for a few years. Since then, the Palace of Versailles has always been occasionally used by deputies and senators.

Why was it brought together recently?

The last Congress dates back to July 9, 2018, with the dEmmanuel Macron’s speech to Parliament to establish the broad outlines of his policy. The current president has already brought together parliamentarians twice in Versailles. His predecessor, François Hollande, also addressed Congress after the November 2015 attacks.

The last constitutional revision dates back to 2008, for the modernization of institutions. In 2007, Congress was convened to include a ban on the death penalty in the Constitution. The very first meeting of Congress was in 1963.