Tensions during the debates on the 2025 budget in the chamber. The National Assembly was the scene of heated exchanges on Thursday, October 24, with the left and the RN accusing government groups of “obstruction” by having tabled numerous amendments. A situation that could ultimately lead to the text being sent to the Senate without the deputies having been able to vote.
“It has never been seen in a budget that the deputies supporting the government table 45% of the amendments,” attacked the president of the LFI group, Mathilde Panot. “Mr. Minister (of the Budget, Laurent Saint-Martin), you must have links with the parliamentary groups that support you, and you must at least ask them to remove these amendments (to) end this discussion.”
MP Jean-Philippe Tanguy (RN) accused the government camp MPs of “constantly obstructing”.
One of the fears of the deputies is that the government groups will deliberately allow the debates to drag on, in order to fall within the scope of Article 47 of the Constitution , according to which if the Assembly fails to reach a decision on a finance bill at first reading after 40 days (November 21), the government will refer the matter to the Senate.
“A silent 49.3”
By using this article, the government is “using the equivalent of a silent 49.3”, accused MP Danielle Simonnet (Ecologist and Social group), in an allusion to this now famous article of the Constitution which allows a text to be adopted without a vote.
Michel Barnier’s government opened the way to the use of a 49.3 on Wednesday in the Council of Ministers. But the decision has not been taken to use it, assures a government source.
In total, more than 3,650 amendments were tabled by MPs on the “revenue” part of the finance bill, including around 45% by the LR-Macronie “common base”, 20% by the right, according to the Assembly services.
On behalf of the Republican Right, Véronique Louwagie acknowledged that her group had “submitted many amendments”, but stressed that this was in the “culture” of the right, and that the circumstances were “exceptional” with a government appointed late, just a few weeks before the budget debate.
In response to these criticisms, Laurent Saint-Martin said he hoped to “have the debates concluded by the end of this week” and said he would be available “as much as necessary”.
till 2,500 amendments to be discussed
Earlier in the day, the four New Popular Front groups had announced their intention to withdraw a quarter of their amendments, or around 270, in order to go to the vote.
EPR, chaired by Gabriel Attal , announced for its part that it was withdrawing “around a hundred amendments”. But the entourage of DR president Laurent Wauquiez , questioned by AFP, indicated that it was “not planned at this stage” that the right would follow this example. The same goes for Horizons, which considers it has been virtuous. “We are watching”, said the MoDem .
By 10:30 p.m. on Thursday, only 434 amendments had been discussed, with some 2,500 still to be discussed. The examination of the text was due to end on Friday evening, but will continue on Saturday, the Conference of Presidents decided on Thursday.
And if the debates are not finished by Saturday, they will resume on November 5, according to a parliamentary source. A formal vote is theoretically planned for Tuesday.
The government coalition has also been the subject of much criticism from the opposition since Monday due to its absenteeism in the chamber.
“There are 18 of you tonight to support this budget,” rumbled RN MP Sébastien Chenu. “And I tell you, if there were not 60, 80 or 100 RN and UDR MPs tonight, France would collapse under the taxes of France Insoumise (…) So in reality, we are saving the savings of the French (…) by our presence, at the moment when you are running away to trigger a 49.3, because you are not even taking responsibility for this shameful budget,” he thundered.
If the government’s copy is too reworked, and there is a vote, the government camp could also vote against the text, as in committee, where it criticized a “tax slaughter”. In this case, it would be up to the Senate to take up the government’s copy, before a possible joint committee.
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