Marlène Schiappa defended the government amendment in vain against the senators.

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NICOLAS MESSYASZ / SIPA

End of party in the Senate for the advance poll in the presidential election of 2022. The upper house dominated by the right-wing opposition very largely rejected Thursday the controversial amendment of the government, defended by Marlène Schiappa as "a very innovative device".

This amendment, presented at the last moment as part of a technical organic bill, was retested by 321 votes against and 23 for (the majority RDPI group En Marche).

It provided that voters could request to vote in advance on voting machines, during the week preceding the poll, in offices and on a date which remained to be defined by decree.

The Minister for Citizenship defended a "device to simplify and strengthen participation".

On the method, "your astonishment and your anger are legitimate", she affirmed for the attention of the senators, refuting any desire for "forced passage" and any trial in "out of date".

"Our desire was both to respond to the commitment of the President of the Republic's program on the digitization and modernization of democracy, to respond to the desire of a certain number of parliamentarians to modernize and digitize the vote », She developed.

"Tampering"

Before the vote, Senator LR Philippe Bas once again asked "solemnly" for the withdrawal of the amendment which, according to him, makes "a trial of intent" to the French, assuming that they would prefer to leave for the weekend than going to vote.

"When we change the rules of the game, we must obtain a consensus of the entire political class, which is not the case in this case", for his part underlined the rapporteur Stéphane Le Rudulier (LR) .

“Tampering”, “DIY”: senators from all sides have again criticized the method and listed a series of practical questions: how many voting machines?

Who will pay them?

Who will be responsible for it?

What date for the advance poll?

What about the legislative elections?….

“What are the government's real intentions?

", Also pretended to question Eric Kerrouche (PS), for whom" the intention is a rude trap for the Senate ".

For Guy Benarroche (environmental group), the amendment is not "a hazardous improvisation, but is part of a considered strategy of the President of the Republic for the presidential election".

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  • Marlene Schiappa

  • Presidential election

  • Ballot

  • Vote

  • Senate