French President Emmanuel Macron faced an unforeseen setback on Monday when legislators brought his government’s immigration overhaul bill to a sudden stop. This new development has raised concerns about his ability to successfully pass crucial legislation through Parliament.
The bill, which aimed to find a balance between clamping down on illegal immigration and expanding employment opportunities for skilled migrants, had been in the works for more than a year. The government encountered challenges in finding a set of measures that would be approved in the lower house, the National Assembly, where Macron’s centrist party and its allies lack an absolute majority.
However, on Monday, the lower house voted to reject the bill without further discussion. The motion, brought forward by the Green party, one of several left-wing opposition groups in Parliament, garnered 270 votes in favor and 265 against. The anticipated two-week parliamentary debate was abruptly cut short.
The rejection of the bill was especially disheartening for Gérald Darmanin, Macron’s assertive interior minister, who had invested significant political capital in passing the bill without resorting to a constitutional mechanism known as the 49.3. This tool allows certain bills to be passed without a vote and had been used earlier this year to push through Macron’s unpopular pension reform.
Marine Le Pen, the far-right leader, criticized Macron’s centrist alliance for relying on the 49.3, stating that the rejected law was pro-immigration, which was unacceptable.
The outcome of the vote was difficult to predict, requiring an unlikely alliance of opposition parties to approve the motion on diametrically opposite grounds. Left-wing parties objected to the harshness of the bill, while the right and far-right considered it too lenient.
Benjamin Haddad, a lawmaker for Macron’s Renaissance party, condemned what he referred to as a “completely outlandish alliance.” He expressed disappointment at the lost opportunity for open and constructive debate.
Darmanin admitted to a “failure” and offered his resignation after the vote, but Macron refused it. The president appeared unwilling to part with an ally who has become instrumental as the face of law and order in France.
The French Republican party holds the key to the bill’s success in the lower house and urged the president to reconsider the bill in a firmer form to gain their support.
The bill aimed to introduce temporary residency permits for foreign workers in industries experiencing labor shortages and to enable asylum seekers from high-risk countries to start working immediately. It also sought to place stricter requirements on obtaining residency papers and make the deportation process more efficient.
The rejected bill serves as a sign that Macron’s “at the same time” style of governing, constantly trying to reconcile both sides of an issue, was perceived as a failure by many opposition lawmakers.