This is one of the major political facts of Sunday evening. The National Rally achieved a historic breakthrough by electing 89 deputies to the National Assembly. After an already record score in the final of the presidential election (41.5% of the vote), Marine Le Pen has made the predictions of polling institutes lie, and even exceeded her wildest dreams. “We hoped to have a group and in our greatest hopes we hoped to have 60 deputies. It is true that we were pleasantly surprised by the mobilization of our compatriots and by this wish that immigration, that insecurity, that the fight against Islamism not disappear from the Assembly”, affirmed the MP re-elected in Pas-de-Calais. This strong entry into the hemicycle offers new political weapons to the RN.
A group means more influence in the hemicycle
“I have been extremely frustrated over the past five years when we did not have the means to fight, not the means to express ourselves”, said Marine Le Pen recently. Former RN deputy Gilbert Collard even confided “boredom” within the hemicycle in 2019. By exceeding the threshold of 15 deputies, the National Rally will be able to form an independent group, which it had not managed to achieve. do in 2017 with only 8 elected. “The first opposition party finally has the necessary weapons, it will be day and night with the previous mandate when the RN did what it could with what it had”, assures Jean-Philippe Tanguy, new RN deputy. of the Somme.
A group offers material advantages (collaborators, offices, etc.) but above all more speaking time during public meetings, during questions to the government or debates, whereas the party was until now limited to a handful of interventions by mandate. During the previous five-year term, the Republicans, who had around 100 elected officials, thus asked 301 of the 1,825 questions to the government, against only 25 for all non-registered people. “We were sued a lot in bad faith, telling us that we were absent from such and such a debate. But with only seven deputies, we could not hold the extended sessions tailor-made for the large group of the majority. This time, we will be able to ensure a permanence in session, ”resumes the former deputy campaign director of Marine Le Pen for the presidential election.
Tools to highlight their favorite themes
The member for Hénin-Beaumont, who will be president of the group, may also request the creation of a special committee, obtain a suspension of the session or a vote by public ballot. By having more than 58 elected, the RN will have the possibility of filing a motion of censure to mark its political disagreement and possibly try to bring down the government during a vote. The party also has the 60 parliamentarians needed to seize the Constitutional Council in order to ensure the conformity of a text and hope for some alterations, its main objective before the elections. The Avia law against online hate content had thus been widely challenged by the Elders in June 2020 to the chagrin of the government.
RN elected officials will also have other tools to highlight their favorite themes. The “right of drawing” to launch a commission of inquiry, or the “parliamentary niches” to defend their own bills. Marine Le Pen has already indicated that she would propose as soon as possible a first “text for the fight against Islamism” to the national representation.
A strong entry into the committees
The RN will also be represented in the Bureau of the Assembly, a sort of board of directors of the institution (with positions of vice-presidents in particular) and in the eight permanent committees (Economic Affairs, Laws, Social Affairs, etc.), proportional to the number of seats held. With 89 elected officials, the RN intends to win the bet. “We will ask for everything we are entitled to. The first opposition group in the Assembly that we have will not compromise on any of the means granted to it by tradition or by republican rules,” said Marine Le Pen on Monday.
The former boss of the RN asked for one of the six positions of vice-presidents of the Assembly and the presidency of the Finance Committee. This crucial post, with extended powers, has traditionally belonged since 2007 to the largest opposition group, but it should be the subject of a battle with La France insoumise, which also claims it. “Our adversaries constantly reproach us for not being competent, while denying us access to positions of credibility. I hope that this umpteenth attempt at democratic circumvention will not take place, ”breaths Jean-Philippe Tanguy.
Beyond the political influence, the RN will hit a financial jackpot. The party will benefit from around 10 million euros per year in public grants after its good results in the presidential and legislative elections. A welcome icing on the cake for a party indebted to more than 20 million euros and forced to finance itself abroad.
Source: 20minutes
I, Ronald Payne, am a journalist and author who dedicated his life to telling the stories that need to be said. I have over 7 years of experience as a reporter and editor, covering everything from politics to business to crime.
