François Hollande believes that the use of 49.3 by the government is legitimate

The use of 49.3 to vote the budget is not “shocking”, according to François Hollande. Questioned in “Sunday in politics” on France 3, on October 16, the former President of the Republic considered legitimate, “when the debate took place”, the use of this article of the Constitution which allows the adoption of a text without a vote, except if the government is overthrown. However, in the present case, the debate “may seem sufficient” and, “in any case, it looks quite tiring for the majority MPs who are subject to crossfire”.

Intense, with more than 50 hours of discussion in one week, the debate in the National Assembly “has been long enough”observed the former President of the Republic.

#Budget @fholland recognizes that 49.3 is “the most likely outcome” the former President of the Republic believes that the budget must be voted.#Dimpol @letellier_ftv @France3tv pic.twitter.com/vpol0Kvqs1

– SundayInPolitics (@SundayPolitics) October 16, 2022

For François Hollande, the context in which article 49.3 would be used is very different from the last resort to this text, at the beginning of 2020. “49.3, at the time of the pension reform proposed by Edouard Philippe, it was a means of preventing the debate. When the debate took place and there is no majority, the Constitution authorizes the recourse at 49.3. This is the most likely given that there is no absolute majority”said the former head of state.

The resumption of the debates is scheduled for Monday, October 17. But recourse to Article 49.3 of the Constitution is more than likely. It hovers more and more strongly over the debates.

For the government, Article 49.3 has the advantage of resetting the text, in a way: the executive is not obliged to repeat the measures already voted, such as the increase in dividend taxthe return of the tax on the tax exile of entrepreneurs or a tax credit for energy renovation.