12 dec 2023 om 00:37
The French parliament has voted down a controversial migration law. With the law, the government wanted to speed up the asylum procedure and allow undocumented migrants to work sooner. At the same time, “dangerous” migrants would be deported more quickly and family reunification became more difficult.
Politicians from left to right were critical of the law. Some thought the law was too strict. Others wanted much tougher measures to limit the influx of asylum seekers. The radical right-wing Marine Le Pen is happy that the proposal has been voted down, because it protects French people against a “migration wave”.
The left-radical Jean-Luc Mélenchon believed that Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin should resign after the failure.
Darmanin also offered his resignation after the vote, but President Emmanuel Macron did not accept this. Macron wants the minister to come up with new ideas to remove the obstacles to the law. The vote marks a major setback for the French president.
There is also speculation in French media that the government will not change the law. Macron can bypass parliament via an article in the constitution.
He has done this before to get a controversial pension law passed and he could therefore do it again.
It is a powerful instrument and is therefore also called ‘the nuclear option’. In the pension reform, the choice resulted in two motions of no confidence for the government. That is why the question is whether Macron now wants to use him again.
Image: Immigrants and homeless people line up for food outside Paris City Hall in October, Getty Images
Read more about:
France
2023-12-11 23:37:11
#left #vote #Macrons #controversial #migration #law
