PARIS — France’s Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said Wednesday that parts of her government’s own draft law on immigration were unconstitutional, a day after a nail-biting vote in favor of the bill which has left Emmanuel Macron’s coalition badly battered.
Late on Tuesday, the National Assembly passed Macron’s flagship immigration bill that was much toughened during negotiations in recent days to get the support of the conservative Les Républicains party. It was also approved with the support of the far right National Rally, which has sparked accusations the centrists are capitulating to xenophobia.
Macron’s government has since been sending mixed messages on the legislation, lauding its success while condemning parts of it as potentially unconstitutional. Borne said Wednesday that she “felt she had fulfilled her duty” but that the bill would have to “evolve.”
Asked during an interview with radio France Inter if parts of the bill were unconstitutional, the prime minister said: “Yes, I can confirm.” She added that there were some measures that raised “doubts” which were shared with the conservatives during talks.
Government Spokesperson Olivier Véran confirmed the same day that the French president himself had referred the legislation to the Constitutional Court to review its constitutionality.
But whatever the outcome of that process, clear fault lines have emerged within Macron’s centrist coalition, which will only feed rising doubts about Macron’s ability to govern France since losing parliamentary elections last year.
On Tuesday, the National Assembly approved the bill with a margin of 349 to 186, but almost a quarter of the MPs from Macron’s coalition abstained or voted against the bill. Less than 24 hours after the vote, Health Minister Aurélien Rousseau, a former Socialist, handed in his resignation telling Le Monde that “he could not explain this bill”.
Macron is now under pressure to seek ways to reconcile his Renaissance party, and in particular mend relations with left-leaning MPs, many of whom voted against the bill. He is expected to give a TV interview Wednesday evening.
The government spokesperson denied there was a “rebellion” against the president within Renaissance. “It’s normal that ministers should have questions”, he said, adding that the entire government, except the health minister, were present at a cabinet meeting Wednesday. “There is no rebellion among ministers,” he said.
Meanwhile, the far right leader Marine Le Pen has been capitalizing on Macron’s difficulties, arguing that the National Rally won “a ideological victory” over the hardened legislation.
