An image that recalls others: Wednesday evening, during a tense session at the National Assembly, Elisabeth Borne presented herself for the twelfth time to the perch to hold her government accountable.
Like an air of déjà vu in the Assembly. On Wednesday September 27, shortly before midnight, Elisabeth Borne used article 49.3 of the Constitution to have the public finance programming law adopted. This is the twelfth time she has activated it since her arrival at Matignon.
>> Public finance programming law: Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne triggers 49.3 for the 12th time since taking office
The Prime Minister has therefore once again held her government accountable, a first since the heated debates on pensions. “We need this law to program our public finances. We can’t take the slightest risk“, justified the Prime Minister in the Assembly shortly before midnight, before holding her government accountable.
The executive did not in fact have the necessary majority to pass the text, already rejected last year.
An essential law, insists Jean-René Cazeneuve, deputy for Gers and general rapporteur of the Budget: “Even when we are talking about 18 billion resources from Europe, the oppositions are not capable of being reasonable”, castigates the Renaissance MP, referring to the money promised by the European Commission as part of the post-Covid-19 recovery plan, provided that this law is adopted, assures the majority. And to conclude: “We have taken our responsibilities“.
Nupes announces filing a motion of censure
Jean-Philippe Tanguy, RN deputy for the Somme, is not convinced. The National Rally had, however, proposed to abstain so that the government could go to the vote. He denounces the lack of openness of the executive: “This government is incapable of building anything beyond an amendment that changes a comma or a completely insignificant technical detail.”
For the left, Elisabeth Borne and the majority are returning to bad habits. “We have a ‘49.3 dependent’ government”scathes the socialist deputy Boris Vallaud. “They are in democratic denial”attacks Cyrielle Chatelain, the president of the environmental group in the Assembly. “The answer is common: Nupes will bring a motion of censure”, she announces. A united Nupes in the face of this 49.3, enough to perhaps forget for a while the turbulence which is shaking the left coalition.
However, this 49.3 could also be followed by aftershocks: for the government, the timing is interesting. The text being examined in extraordinary session, it will still have a cartridge of 49.3 for the ordinary session which opens Monday October 2. The government can only draw out 49.3 on a single text per ordinary session, excluding State budgets and the Social Security budget, for which it can take responsibility as many times as it wishes. And Elisabeth Borne will most likely be called upon to invoke around ten 49.3s in the fall on the State and Social Security budgets.