A double load, in one pair of pliers. On Monday January 8th, Emmanuel Macron, who presented his wishes to the Constitutional Council, was lectured twice. The first came from the President of the Council himself, Laurent Fabius, who criticized him between the lines in the municipal hall of the Elysée Palace for treating the rule of law with a certain lightness. The former Prime Minister of François Mitterrand cannot stand the nonchalance of several members of the executive who, shortly before Christmas, explicitly recognized that several provisions of the immigration law were unconstitutional and hoped that the Council would censor the articles dictated by Les Républicains (LR). , for which they took the least political responsibility.
Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers “Immigration Law”: When the President of the Constitutional Council, Laurent Fabius, scolds Emmanuel Macron about the rule of law
“The Constitutional Council [n’est] “neither an echo chamber for opinion trends nor an appeal chamber for the decisions of Parliament, but the judge of the constitutionality of laws,” recalled its president, who regretted “this simple definition.” [ne soit] probably not or not yet integrated by all.” Mr. Fabius, who criticized the “confusion” of some between law and politics, called for “respect for the rule of law, defined by a set of fundamental principles such as the separation of powers, the principle of legality and independence will.” Judge.
The accusation made by a political opponent who is committed to restraint is serious. Another, even more difficult message came the same day, at exactly the same time, but this time from a friend. Across the Seine, lawyer, writer and academic François Sureau was invited to open the Academy of Moral and Political Sciences' back-to-school session on the theme of justice.
Under the amused looks of the former Secretary General of the Government, Marc Guillaume, and the former Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, General Lecointre, he also sharply criticized “the way in which he had advocated a compromise on the law As if the Constitution did not do so in any way would prescribe, the executive referred the text it wanted to the Constitutional Council.
A “senseless” attitude of certain politicians
The author of “The Way of the Dead” (Gallimard, 2013), whom the head of state appreciates and with whom he likes to discuss literature or military matters, made ironic remarks about the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, on December 19 before the final vote on the Immigration law in the National Assembly, he said: “The work of the Constitutional Council will serve its purpose, but politics is not about being a lawyer in front of lawyers.” »
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