France: what political lessons to draw from the purchasing power plan voted by the deputies?

Session of questions to the government at the National Assembly in Paris on July 26, 2022. AFP - BERTRAND GUAY

Text by: Aurélien Devernoix

3 mins

After the purchasing power law, the amending budget was voted last night in the National Assembly.

If the Senate still has to approve the two texts, the mission seems accomplished for the government.

But the debates were stormy on the night of July 26 to 27 and the lack of a majority in the presidential camp earned him several setbacks.

In any case, the sequence of the last ten days offers several lessons on the new French political balance.

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First lesson: even without an absolute majority among the deputies, the government is doing well.

Admittedly, there were some defeats here and there, on rents in rural areas for example, but on the big issues where he could have been outvoted, he still managed to find compromises.

The best example is on the price of fuel: farewell to the system of checks for large rollers defended by the executive, which finally aligned itself with what the opposition wanted, namely a drop in the price of a liter at the pump, while limiting the breakage on the budget side.

Same thing on the financing of the increase in social minima and territorial civil servants for local communities.

A point of balance has been found, satisfying everyone.

So the compromise… but with variable geometry.

The government has drawn red lines: no question of discussing with the National Rally and France insubordinate, which are however the two main opposition groups in the Assembly, deemed infrequent.

RN and LFI, politically isolated? 

The deputies of the presidential camp did not fail to underline the failure of rebellious France to pass amendments and to prevent the passing of bills.

This was one of the objectives of the executive: to silence the melody sung in particular by Jean-Luc Mélenchon, according to which the union of the left was the real winner of the legislative elections and the presidential alliance a minority like any other in the Assembly. 

On this, it is rather successful.

On the other hand, the Macron camp did not succeed in causing the Nupes to implode despite its attempts to separate LFI from the socialists, ecologists and communists: the first being deemed infrequent and the others worthy of being interlocutors. 

The presidential alliance has also been put in difficulty by the strategy adopted by the National Rally: Marine Le Pen's party has decided to play the responsible opposition card, voting in particular in favor of the purchasing power law and preferring play the confrontation with the left.

As a result, the Assembly sometimes seemed to be cut in two with Nupes on one side and a hitch of bad luck with the deputies of the presidential camp, the RN and the Republicans on the other.

Republicans at the center of the game

Because they are the law makers.

This was particularly the case for the amending budget voted last night where they offered the majority to the government.

Most of the compromises found came from their amendments and the executive would like this honeymoon to continue.

Except that nothing is certain and the leaders of LR have made it clear: there is no question, for example, of negotiating future texts of law before their arrival in the hemicycle as the government would like, said the president of the group to the Assembly Olivier Marleix.

The Republicans cannot afford to dilute themselves in the presidential alliance, otherwise they risk disappearing.

But the major issues that are approaching are all the same conducive to new rapprochements: passage of the retirement age to 65, tightening of unemployment insurance and conditioning of the minimum income.

Proposals that have long been among the priorities of the right.

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