Macron impeachment proposal rejected by French parliament
The proposal which accused the president of ‘breaching his responsibilities’ has still been hailed as ‘historic’ by left-wing MPs
The proposal against President Macron (left) was put forward by LFI, the party of Jean-Luc Mélénchon (right)
Gints Ivuskans / GERARD BOTTINO / Shutterstock
The French parliament has rejected a motion by far-left party La France Insoumise to impeach President Macron.
The Laws Committee held a debate on the issue on October 2, which was described by committee president Florent Boudié (from Mr Macron’s Renaissance party) as “very good-quality”.
The proposal was rejected by 54 votes to 15.
It had called for the creation of a joint parliamentary session known as a ‘High Court’, which would have examined the bill. The impeachment call had been signed by all MPs from La France Insoumise, as well as some Green and Communist MPs.
The call for impeachment concerns Mr Macron’s refusal to appoint Lucie Castets - the left-wing’s erstwhile candidate - as prime minister, despite the left wing having won the parliamentary elections in June and July.
Mr Macron later appointed Michel Barnier to the role instead, after a 51-day delay.
Read also: Michel Barnier is named as France's new prime minister
Read also: Far-left threaten to impeach Macron for 'refusal to act on legislative results'
‘Breach in presidential duties’
The left-wing coalition said that this did not make sense, because Mr Barnier’s party had only received 5% of the vote, and had not taken part in the so-called ‘republican front’ (the tradition by which parties choose to withdraw candidates from certain races to help beat the far right).
As a result, Mr Macron’s appointment of Mr Barnier “constitutes a breach” in presidential duties to uphold the results of an election, said Green MP Jérémie Iordanoff, the impeachment motion's rapporteur. Socialist MP Hervé Saulignac said that "since June 9, there has been a deep institutional malaise in the country”.
Yet, despite the proposal’s rejection, the LFI party said that its presentation was still a powerful “tactical move” to show the “agony of the Fifth Republic”.
“Toppling the government is necessary, but insufficient. The problem is not just at the prime minister's office, it's at the Elysée,” said Antoine Léaument from the LFI. “And by proposing to impeach Mr. Macron, we want to resolve this problem through constitutional channels.”
He added that the day was “historic” despite the failure of the proposal.
Mr Iordanoff said that the debate was “unprecedented” when it comes to the meaning of Article 68 of the Constitution, which defines the president’s responsibility.
Read also: Latest on impeachment proceedings against Macron from French left
‘Communication stunt’
In contrast, Renaissance MP Aurore Bergé said that “to use impeachment as a tool of political combat is to play with democracy”.
Members of Mr Macron’s coalition said that the proposal was “a communication stunt" and a "misuse of parliamentary procedure”, while far-right party the Rassemblement National (RN) denounced the "disorder" that the LFI had caused.
“I think there are better things to do than [hold] a political trial that would lead us into a dead end,” said Philippe Gosselin, a right-wing MP from Mr Barnier’s Les Républicains (LR) party. In contrast, Mr Gosselin was among the MPs to sign the impeachment proposal against Mr Hollande in 2016.
But Green MP Pouria Amirshahi said that this “exceptional procedure” was the only “lever, vehicle or legal framework” that currently exists “to force the president of the Republic to answer for his serious decisions”.
The decision will now be considered by the Conference of Presidents - the body that brings together the presidents of the Assemblée's groups - whether to continue to debate in the Assemblée chamber.
“Nothing is automatic," said Yaël Braun-Pivet, the Assemblée Nationale deputy, to reporters at Le Monde on October 2. Yet, she said she was “reassured by the impeachment's extremely clear-cut" rejection” by the Laws Committee.
Impeachment history
This is only the second presidential impeachment proposal ever tabled before the Assemblée Nationale.
In 2016, right-wing MPs sought to impeach Socialist then-President François Hollande, claiming that he had violated military confidentiality rules. The motion was rejected by the Assemblée's bureau before it could reach the level of committee debate, unlike this new proposal against Mr Macron.
