Coup de theater at the National Assembly on the night of Monday to Tuesday, where the examination of the bill transforming the health pass into a vaccination pass was the subject of a surprise suspension, following a majority of deputies have refused by a show of hands the continuation of the debates.
This surprise suspension, loudly welcomed by the opposition, is likely to derail the timetable for the final adoption of the text by parliament initially scheduled for the end of the week. This Tuesday morning in France, Gabriel Attal denounced a “form of friendly irresponsibility” and a “procedural step”, while defending himself from any amateurism of the majority. The government spokesperson aims for a timetable “as close as possible to what was planned” before the suspension in the Assembly.
“It is a snub for the government”, welcomed the deputy LR Julien Aubert while Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the “rebellious” welcomed a “correction” inflicted on the Minister of Health , Olivier Véran.
The minister had previously requested the agreement of the hemicycle to continue the debates following the normal closing time of the Assembly scheduled for midnight. “We have the night in front of us”, quipped Olivier Véran. But this simple formality which was to take the deputies in a marathon examination until the early hours of the morning, turned into a new quack which causes disorder in the middle of the presidential campaign. It will be up to the conference of presidents of parliamentary groups at the Palais Bourbon, which meets this Tuesday morning, to include the rest of the examination of the text on the Assembly’s agenda, perhaps as early as Tuesday evening or Wednesday, a said a parliamentary source.
Faced with this situation, the socialist presidential candidate, Anne Hidalgo, questioned the government. “It happens like that because this government does not respect anyone”, reacted the mayor of Paris on France 2, arguing that France must deal with “contaminations” and the “dissemination” of the Omicron variant while “he A few weeks ago, the Minister of Health told us that we were the best in the world ” once morest him. Saying “for the vaccine pass”, she felt that it is necessary “to take the time for the discussion” because this device “is depriving of liberty” and that “the parliament is the place of this discussion, respectful, with all political forces ”.
Marine Le Pen, for her part, hailed a “victory for democracy”. “The RN deputies voted for the suspension, a victory for democracy. We can no longer admit that the debates on health restrictions, which have an impact on the life and freedoms of our compatriots, take place at night far from the eyes of the French, ”she wrote on Twitter.
The Minister of Labor, Elisabeth Borne, for her part, criticized all the opposition members of the government. “It is appalling to see the Republican deputies ally with the La France insoumise deputies and the National Rally to obstruct the adoption of a text that proposes measures to deal with the outbreak of the epidemic. We even had outright anti-vaccine comments (from them), in any case comments that sow doubt on the interest of vaccination. I think it’s pretty serious, ”she said on franceinfo.
“We did not have the material time, overnight, to examine all the amendments. There was an error of assessment by the majority, it was not possible. It is a particular text, which gives rise to a lot of debate. The deputies did not want to botch this examination, ”assured this Tuesday morning on Annie Genevard, LR vice-president of the National Assembly, deputy of the Doubs on France Info. “Between today and tomorrow, it is quite possible to find fifteen hours in the agenda to discuss this text under honorable conditions. It is simply a matter of organization was not a political coup. “
While the majority has already been taken on several occasions in lack of mobilization, over the 12 anti-Covid texts examined since the start of the crisis, Christophe Castaner, the boss of the LREM group called on the deputies to “remain present and mobilized throughout the week ”in an internal message. He lambasted “the irresponsibility” of the oppositions, some within the group denouncing a “new blow of the curtain” of LR deputies, who arrived in force just before the vote.
“Clearly a lack of anticipation and mobilization”
“We have seen oppositions who, on many TV sets and tweets, tell us that they are in favor of the vaccination pass and support this bill and who in the Chamber, have done the opposite, played the obstruction and voted in a massive way so that the debates cease ”, denounced the president LREM of the commission of the Laws, Yaël Braun-Pivet. In the viewfinder of the majority: the attitude of the LR accused of publicly supporting the vaccine pass but of having submitted the text in the hemicycle to a slew of criticism and negative votes.
“There was clearly a lack of anticipation and mobilization,” however admitted a parliamentary source LREM, also deploring a “blow” from the chairperson, LR Annie Genevard, who at the end of the surprise vote was questioned by Christophe Castaner and the Minister of Health, Olivier Véran. Until then, the debates around the bill transforming the health pass into a vaccine pass were progressing at a slow pace due to the hostility of deputies from several political groups.
Vaccination of minors
In a white-hot hemicycle, the debates lingered on the thorny issue of the vaccination pass for minors from 12 years old and the restrictions likely to be imposed on unvaccinated young people. At the end of the day, skirmishes between Olivier Véran and a few deputies on the right and on the left, and a strong tackle targeting Martine Wonner, the muse of the covidosceptics. “I am ashamed for you”, thundered Olivier Véran to the address of the non-registered member following remarks deemed defamatory on the consequences of the vaccination of children.
Faced with the “tidal wave” of the Omicron variant of Covid-19, the bill plans to transform the health pass into a vaccination pass to access leisure activities, restaurants and bars, fairs or interregional public transport.
VIDEO. Omicron: “Perhaps this is the last wave”, advances Véran in front of the deputies
The government wants to further increase the pressure on the nearly five million French people aged 12 and over who are unvaccinated. To have a complete vaccination schedule, it will be necessary, from February 15, to carry out its booster dose four months – and no longer up to seven months – following its second dose, knowing that an infection is always equivalent to an injection. . The health pass will not be necessary for work, but the government is proposing to impose an administrative fine on companies that do not play the telecommuting game.
The bill also provides for a state of health emergency until March 31 in Reunion Island and Martinique. But the entry into force of the vaccination pass will be postponed overseas where the vaccination rate is lower.