Macron Left Red Faced After Opposition Rejects Immigration Bill
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Raven Ruma
- . December 16, 2023
- . Update: December 16, 2023 8:11 pm
French President Emmanuel Macron took a heavy blow after France’s Assemblee Nationale rejected the immigration bill by 270 votes to 265. The bill wasn’t even debated on the floor of the Assemblee. However, this doesn’t mean that the immigration bill has been definitively rejected.
The MPs of the far-right, far-left and moderate parties, who rejected the legislation, argued that it was too repressive, with some saying it was not tough enough. Olivier Faure, the leader of France’s Socialist party, said its time to work on a bill that is in line with republican principles. He said foreigners should not be viewed as suspects.
The French Employment Minister agreed saying that many MPs who have been calling for a debate on immigration for months just denied themselves the debate.
Immigration Bill Debacle
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, before the bill was rejected, had said that passing the motion to reject the bill would be a denial of democracy. He said it would be strange to be unable to debate a subject that matters so much to the French people.
Following the rejection, there were calls for Darmanin to resign. The president of Rassemblement National, Jordan Bardella said Gerald Darmanin is guilty of inaction, omission and distortion. “His bill contains no far-reaching measures to regain control of immigration. In a functioning democracy, he would resign.”
The Interior Minister offered to step down from his post but President Macron rejected his resignation.
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Government to Redraft Immigration Bill
The French government decided to maintain the bid to pass the immigration bill and send the legislation back to a parliamentary committee. Sources said President Macron denounced the cynicism of members of the opposition. He accused them of seeking to obstruct the country. Macron is adamant on a law on integration and immigration.
Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne told the parliament that the left-wing NUPES alliance and the far-right were doing a disservice to the French. “You only offer them chaos. It’s irresponsible, it’s dangerous.” She said the government was looking for compromise but was determined to adopt strong measures for fellow citizens.
