Macron’s government suffers first defeat in parliament after election setback | France 24:
July 13, 2022 - "France's government has suffered its first defeat in parliament after President Emmanuel Macron's ruling party lost its majority in elections last month. The National Assembly rejected a proposal on Tuesday night to give the government powers to demand travellers show proof of vaccination or a negative Covid-19 test when entering France. The defeat by 219 votes to 195 saw all the major opposition parties -- the far-right National Rally (RN), the hard left LFI, and rightwing Republicans (LR) -- unite against the minority government....
"Despite the setback on the border controls, a wider bill to tackle the seventh wave of Covid-19 infections passed the assembly with 221 votes in favour and 187 against."
Read more: https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20220713-macron-s-government-suffers-first-defeat-in-parliament-after-election-setback
The French are fed up with Macron’s Covid tyranny | Spiked - Charles Devellenes:
July 15, 2022 - "French president Emmanuel Macron has suffered his first parliamentary defeat of the new term. A bill intended to reinforce Covid restrictions ahead of the autumn was rejected by the three main opposition parties. This is a major setback for a president who has grown all too used to getting his way.
"Macron was re-elected as president back in April. But just months later in June’s parliamentary elections, he failed to secure a majority.... The election results changed nothing in Macron’s eyes.... He is as determined as ever to push through his unpopular agenda.... In parliament, he can ally himself with the far-right Rassemblement National or the conservative Républicains on certain votes. And if parliament disagrees with him, he may try to turn to the anti-democratic Article 49.3 of the French constitution, which allows presidents to pass a bill through parliament without a vote. He can also issue presidential decrees....
"The defeated bill proposed reinstating certain Covid restrictions, particularly at the French border. Its main aim was to reintroduce the deeply unpopular ‘health pass’ (or vaccine passport) for travellers entering the country. Earlier in the pandemic, a health pass was required to enter cafés and public spaces.
"Macron, ever the ‘authoritarian liberal’, enacted some of the harshest Covid restrictions in the world during the pandemic. At times, all citizens were required to fill in a form every time they left the home. Medical professionals who refused the vaccination were fired. And an army of police officers was deployed to issue fines and enforce lockdowns. The opposition parties are right to recognise that the French are fed up with Covid rules, especially now that vaccines have been widely available for well over a year.
"Yet Macron has made a habit of turning ‘temporary’ infringements on civil liberties into permanent features of French life. When he took office in 2017, France was still under a state of emergency following the Paris terror attacks in November 2015. Although he officially brought the state of emergency to an end, he only did so after passing some of its restrictions on civil liberties into law.... A state of permanent emergency, administrative controls over everyday life and restricted liberties have defined the Macron regime since its inception. The heavy-handed Covid response was an outgrowth of this existing authoritarianism. But the defeat of the Covid bill in parliament this week shows that opposition to Macron’s rule is mounting. And he will find it increasingly difficult to impose his will....
"For five years, Macron has ruled France with impunity. This period is now officially over. Parliamentarians have shown that they can now defeat the president, derail his agenda and scrutinise his government. Macron may now have to call for new parliamentary elections, but the risks are high. Given his sinking popularity, he may well find himself with even less support after a new vote. Whatever happens next, Macron has finally been humbled."
Read more: https://www.spiked-online.com/2022/07/15/the-french-are-fed-up-with-macrons-covid-tyranny/
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