Thursday morning behind closed doors and by secret ballot, the members of the commission will vote for the allocation of this key function, devolved to a deputy from an opposition group.

The battle is as bitter as the coveted post.

The Finance Committee, which examines all draft budgets before they are examined in the Chamber, is one of the most powerful and prestigious in the Assembly.

Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne promised last week that the majority would "respect traditions" and not take part in the ballot, leaving the opposition to organize itself.

"We wash our hands of it, we don't have to get involved" and "not sure there is a good solution", comments an LREM deputy.

Numerically, the left alliance Nupes (LFI, PS, EELV, PCF) seems favorite with its common candidate.

The choice of Eric Coquerel was formalized Tuesday morning in the intergroup, while the socialist Valérie Rabault, with a more consensual profile, was interested in the position.

The Nupes must announce other joint candidacies for key positions at the start of the afternoon.

During the previous legislature, Eric Coquerel was already a member of the Finance Committee, which has some 70 deputies.

At the RN, we shout at "device maneuvers and Nupes piracy on all positions in the National Assembly".

The far-right group believes that the post should go to it thanks to its 89 deputies, against some 75 rebels, around thirty socialists, 23 ecologists and around twenty communists.

"A bit Cornelian"

According to the RN candidate Jean-Philippe Tanguy, the Nupes is "breaking with republican practice", by not leaving the presidency of the commission to the largest opposition group.

The practice prevailed so far without appearing in the regulations, simply stipulating that the post must go to an elected member of an opposition group.

National Rally (RN) deputy Jean-Philippe Tanguy, June 21, 2022 at the National Assembly, in Paris JULIEN DE ROSA AFP / Archives

Last hope for the RN, to try to win votes at LR, which also presents a candidate, perhaps Véronique Louwagie (Orne).

An exchange took place between Marine Le Pen and the leader of the right-wing deputies Olivier Marleix, according to Jean-Philippe Tanguy, but without success it seems.

"LR is unable to have a clear position on the subject", plague Mr. Tanguy.

The president of the LR group Olivier Marleix spoke on LCP of "a somewhat difficult choice" between Tanguy and Coquerel.

"La Nupes could have made a choice that was probably a little more consensual" with Valérie Rabault, he said.

A graduate of Essec and Sciences Po, Jean-Philippe Tanguy tries to play the serious card in order to distinguish himself from LFI.

And some Republicans are not insensitive to it, even if the President LR of the Senate Gérard Larcher declared on LCI on Tuesday that he did not want deputies from his camp to support the RN.

"What is important is the good performance of the Finance Committee," said a right-wing deputy to AFP.

Because the right and the majority already accuse LFI of wanting to use certain prerogatives of the presidency of the commission, such as access to documents covered by tax secrecy, for political purposes.

"It's of the same ilk as all the + fake news + they circulate", retorts Eric Coquerel.

"We are not going to use this as a political weapon against personalities. On the other hand, yes, we want to take strong action on questions of tax evasion".

Allied with Emmanuel Macron, the ex-LR and outgoing chairman of the Finance Committee Eric Woerth does not cast anathema on Eric Coquerel, who "was a completely serious commissioner".

But with LFI in the presidency, "we change the nature of the opposition", he believes.

"I will not impugn his intentions, but obviously we are outside the norms".

© 2022 AFP