The last two weeks have not been at all harmonious for the Paris government: in fact, they wanted to approve the immigration law, which has been in preparation for a year, but it was rejected in the National Assembly, the French lower house.
An attempt was then made to find a workable compromise – with the support of conservative Republicans in opposition. Macron no longer has an absolute majority in the National Assembly since the June 2022 parliamentary elections and is therefore dependent on opposition votes.
Commitment to numerous tightening measures
However, this significantly strengthened the tone of the law. Regular migrants should only receive social benefits such as housing subsidies and family allowances later than before. Parliament will also debate annual immigration quotas in the future. Furthermore, the crime of irregular residence must be reintroduced.
APA/AFP/Ludovic Marin Le Pen called the law an “ideological victory”
These changes were enough to obtain a majority in the second attempt – this happened with votes from Le Pen's RN, which in fact did not participate in the final text. Le Pen, however, celebrated the decision as an “ideological victory” that established the “national priority”, that is, the preference of the French people.
Tear your own ranks
The media quickly described this indirect victory for the RN – and with it the most prominent face of the French right, Le Pen – as a “kiss of death” for Macron. Because although the law won a parliamentary majority, it also meant a rupture within Macron's own ranks.
Almost a quarter of deputies from Macron's Renaissance Party and its coalition partners voted against the law or abstained. The Minister of Health, Aurelien Rousseau, resigned the following day. This left Macron in need of an explanation.
Macron does not see any favoritism for Le Pen's party
On Wednesday night he defended the law in a television interview – and does not see any concessions to the demands of the right. The law clearly aims to prevent the irregular immigration of migrants to France and therefore also prevent the social system from being overwhelmed, Macron said on Wednesday night on the France 5 television channel. He sees the law as a “protective shield.” that the country needs “urgent needs”, continued Macron. “It will allow us to combat what strengthens the Rassemblement National,” said Macron, referring to the major migration issue.
Macron continued that he “respects” the decision of the deputies who voted against his law. However, the President does not see a reduced majority as a result. But Macron also admitted that he was not at all satisfied with parts of the law. “Am I jumping in the air? No. There are things about him that I don't like. (…) The question for the government was whether we were going to block it because we didn't like parts of it. No. When you govern, you have to make difficult decisions. (…) The country was waiting for this law”, quoted the “Guardian” from the two-hour interview.
Is “Macronie” “falling apart”?
Many French media now write that Macron is ill. Even in French-speaking countries, many media agree that RN's support could have been a “kiss of death” for all of “Macronie”, as Belgian broadcaster RTBF writes in an article.
APA/AFP/Ludovic Marin Health Minister Aurelien Rousseau resigned on Wednesday
Former French president François Hollande also harshly criticized the law: the law was a “defeat for the republic”. “If voters – and I was one of them – who voted in good faith for Emmanuel Macron to block the Rassemblement National (…) think that this party’s proposals are now laws of the Republic, it is a humiliation,” he said. in an interview with Le Monde.
Celebrities speak out against the law
On Thursday, numerous celebrities also protested against the new law, including Nobel Prize winner for Literature Annie Ernaux, former football star Eric Cantona, left-wing politicians such as party leader Olivier Faure of the Socialists , and Jean-Luc Mélenchon, from the Socialist Party. left-wing populists, but also the mayors of Paris and Lille, Anne Hidalgo and Martine Aubry.
They called on Macron to abandon the controversial immigration law. “It opens the door to the nationalist ideology of right-wing extremism and is a betrayal of the promise that Macron made to his voters”, states the appeal published in the newspaper “L'Humanité”. “We ask the President to wake up and not sign the text.”
It remains to be seen what will happen to the controversial law – Macron announced that it must first be reviewed by the Constitutional Council. He has a month to comment. But it is also clear that the lack of a majority in parliament could continue to mean that Macron will move closer to Le Pen's party on demands in order to move projects forward.
Depardieu-Sager caused a stir
In any case, the pressure on Macron is not expected to ease anytime soon. He also causes controversy with his statements outside of government work. During the interview, he also defended actor Gerard Depardieu, who has been criticized for allegations of rape and abuse. “There is one thing you will never see me doing: manhunts,” Macron said. “I hate it.” Macron went on to say that he was a “great admirer” of Depardieu, who was a “great actor”.
This will also have caused little joy in their own ranks. A few days ago, French Culture Minister Rima Abdul Malak described Depardieu's behavior towards women as a “shame for France” and initiated his exclusion from the Legion of Honor. “No, we are not proud of Gerard Depardieu,” said former president Hollande on Thursday in response to Macron's statements.