Parliamentary group, absolute majority… Four things to know about the thresholds of deputies in the National Assembly

The principle is simple: the more MPs a party has, the more it will weigh on parliamentary life. The bar for having an absolute majority is for example set at 289 female MPs, or half the seats with one more elected representative. Franceinfo takes stock of the thresholds of MPs to know.

60 deputies, this allows us to seize the Constitutional Council to ensure compliance with the law. This provision was already used, for example, last January when the vaccination pass. At the time, more than 60 deputies from different backgrounds had gathered to have the text verified by the Constitutional Council.

The first threshold is 15 deputies. This corresponds to a parliamentary group. However, having a group offers more weight and more visibility in the chamber. For example, elected representatives have more speaking time during questions to the government, they can also request suspensions of sessions or can sit in committee. A parliamentary group also has more resources: they are entitled to collaborators and have easier access to meeting rooms, for example.

With 58 parliamentarians, elected officials can sign a motion of censure. They are thus expressing their profound disagreement with the government and are starting a debate before a vote. And if at least 289 deputies vote for this motion of censure, the Prime Minister is then forced to resign.

Finally, 289 deputies is also a threshold. This corresponds to half of the Assembly and one deputy. In short: the absolute majority. In this configuration, a government can have its bills voted on relatively calmly. On the other hand, if it is just below 289 deputies, we then speak of a relative majority. The executive will then have to ally and negotiate with other parties to pass its texts.