Like the smell of gunpowder in the air. The government’s immigration bill will arrive next Monday in the Hemicycle of the National Assembly. But the text adopted last Saturday in committee is far from the expectations of the Republicans. Eric Ciotti and his generals have therefore chosen to use their parliamentary niche this Thursday, during which they will have control over the day’s agenda, to prepare for the coming shock against the Macronist troops. “It will be the moment of truth,” breathes the LR deputy for Alpes-Maritimes Eric Pauget. We therefore take stock of the right’s battle plan.
Step 1: count your troops
Before going to war, it is better to ensure the cohesion of your lines. And in recent weeks, Eric Ciotti has had the greatest difficulty getting the right to speak with one voice on the subject of migration. “Not restrictive enough” on the regularization of undocumented workers, “too many compromises” with the government… Senators and deputies spent their time bickering over the version of the text voted by the right and center majority in the Senate.
“The parliamentary process is sometimes complicated. But on the niche, deputies and senators agree,” praises Anne-Laure Blin, LR deputy for Maine-et-Loire. In particular on the famous constitutional law which will be proposed in this niche. It would make it possible to organize a referendum on immigration. This measure, supported by the entire right, had been announced last May by the triumvirate Eric Ciotti, Olivier Marleix and Bruno Retailleau (party leaders, deputies and senators).
Step 2: mine the land
Neither Napoleon nor any military strategist would say the opposite: the choice of the place of confrontation is decisive. The right therefore opted for a minefield, presenting as soon as the niche opened a resolution calling for the denunciation, by the French authorities, of the Franco-Algerian agreement of December 27, 1968. LR elected officials consider it “obsolete” this bilateral text, which creates a special status for Algerian nationals in terms of movement, stay and employment in France.
“The challenge is to show the government’s ambivalences since on this point, the majority is already divided,” warns Pierre-Henri Dumont, LR deputy for Pas-de-Calais. Edouard Philippe himself indicated last June that he wanted to review this agreement. Horizons elected officials could therefore vote for the LR measure… against the wishes of the government, Renaissance and the MoDem. With this cartridge, the Republicans hope to undermine the (fragile) cohesion of the presidential camp on immigration.
Step 3: release the “weapon of mass destruction”
To impress your rival, it’s better to flex your muscles. Republicans have already made it known that the fate of their parliamentary niche on Thursday will have a strong impact on discussions on the government’s immigration bill, which will begin next week. “If they brush aside our two texts, on the France-Algeria agreement and the constitutional revision, there will be consequences,” confirms Eric Pauget. “In the event of rejection, that will clearly not encourage us to be nice to them…” adds Pierre-Henri Dumont.
“On a sovereign subject like immigration, we must clearly mark our difference,” continues Pauget. If we want to be visible and audible, we must stay on a firm line.” The LR even poses the threat of a “weapon of mass destruction”, in the words of an elected official. In short: bring down the government by tabling a motion of censure, if the executive used 49.3 for its bill.