What do Jordan Bardella and Patrick Bruel have in common? We know the second’s passion for poker, we didn’t know the first’s passion for bluffing. Guest on the France Inter morning show, Tuesday December 19, the president of the National Rally repeated it: “If the measures aimed at facilitating the regularization of illegal immigrants on French soil are withdrawn we could vote for this text. If that stay inside, it’s a red line, we will abstain or we will vote against this text, we are consistent.” White smoke.
The joint committee ends, an agreement is reached between senators, deputies and government. And the final text clearly includes the regularization measure so feared by the RN. Hardened, certainly. The prefects will have discretionary power in this matter and will decide on a case-by-case basis whether or not to grant the residence permit. Regularizations on a case-by-case basis, but regularizations all the same. Red line, you said?
She changes her mind
Eight hours later, at the National Assembly, Marine Le Pen changed her tune: “It is a tightening of immigration conditions. We are therefore going to vote on this text as it emerges from the joint committee. .” So, bluff or disavowal? It’s hard to blame Jordan Bardella, on the subject, the RN’s position is difficult to follow. We would get lost there. First, Marine Le Pen said she could vote for the bill, then no, then voted for the motion to reject.
But here is the text back at the negotiating table. Loss of nationality for dual nationals committing crimes against the police, end of the automaticity of land law, reinstatement of the offense of illegal residence… So many measures more or less inspired by the Frontist proposals. And above all, a new expression which is entering the public debate. That of “national priority”. The far-right party knows this proposal well, which it has been pushing for years. In this case, it involves establishing a three-month waiting period before receiving APL for foreigners who work, compared to five years for those who do not work. Not exactly what the RN claims. Better than nothing, though. And then the expression is launched.
“National priority”
It’s up to the frontists to take advantage of it. Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella trigger the crisis unit in the morning. On form: a one-on-one lunch in a restaurant in the 8th arrondissement to draw up the strategy. We should not miss this new opportunity to “make a move”, the new favorite activity of the RN, which sees in this configuration a first semantic victory. And the opportunity to repeat that they are the ones who force the Republicans to “go right”. But is it really possible to claim ideological victory and ascendancy over the LR without voting for the text? Complicated.
It’s decided, the RN will add its votes to those of the right and the majority. It doesn’t matter if Jordan Bardella said the opposite a few hours earlier on the France Inter microphone. “Our position has evolved in relation to the hardening of the text: there is an evolution, not a change of footing,” swears those around him, straddling the wording. Whatever. “On the concept of national priority there is a victory for our ideas, Marine Le Pen now trumpets the Assembly. And I do not see how tomorrow the elected representatives of the majority, the President of the Republic in the lead, will be able to reproach us to defend the national priority since they integrate the idea that it can be applied. In principle, this concept is validated, and I can only rejoice about it.”
Fracture the majority
The maneuver is also tactical. “By voting with Renaissance, we are fracturing them, even though they accused us of voting with the left on the rejection motion. If we had abstained, Renaissance could have said ‘Phew! We didn’t vote with the RN ‘, and the majority would not have fractured”, rejoices a frontist deputy. “If we also obtain a reshuffle, that’s the bonus. The icing on the cake. The worst is if the votes of the majority are missing and it’s us who have the text voted on”, dares to hardly dream of another. It’s worth crossing a few red lines, right? And this conclusion, a bit cynical: “Who will remember the declarations on France Inter, frankly?”
Gérald Darmanin, obviously. 9:45 p.m., the Minister of the Interior speaks in the Hemicycle. “Do you know, Ms Le Pen, that you are going to vote for the regularization of 10,000 foreigners? That you are going to give free lessons to all foreigners? That you are going to vote against the abolition of the AME? You are a bad player , and all you’ve managed to do are little tricks. You’re not ready for power, and that’s a good thing.” Marine Le Pen mimes a breaststroke. Twist: after reflection, a little uncomfortable, Macronie does not want frontist voices. Emmanuel Macron warns: the text will not be promulgated if it passes thanks to the votes of the RN. Aspiring to measures from the far-right party is still okay, but accepting its votes, never! The RN does not have a monopoly on contradictions. Time for voting. The text is adopted. We take out the calculators. 349 votes for, 186 votes against. Gérald Darmanin is delighted. The text would have been adopted “even without the votes of the National Rally”. The assertion is only half true. If the RN had voted against, the account would not have been there. What do the details matter? The Republic is saved.
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