The motion of censure against the government tabled by the New People’s Ecological and Social Union (Nupes), and voted by the National Rally (RN), Monday, October 24, still does not pass through the ranks of the presidential majority. Although the text, adopted in reaction to the use of article 49, paragraph 3 of the Constitution, to have the draft budget for 2023 adopted, was rejected, the government and the rebels continue to accuse each other of play the RN game.
Like the rebellious deputy of Val-de-Marne, Clémence Guetté, who, invited on France Info, Friday October 28, commented on the remarks of the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin castigating “a bargain of shame” between members of the left and of the extreme right. “When you denounce the far right, to be consistent, you don’t accept their votes! », also launched in the hemicycle.
For the vice-president of the LFI-Nupes group in the National Assembly, this « accusation » is “absolutely dishonest”. And to add: We are a political formation that is part of a history that has fought the far right strongly for decades. » Clémence Guetté then recalled that the Minister of the Interior had ” voted three motions of censure in common when he was a deputy, with the deputies at the time of the National Front”. But is this really the case?
why it’s true
Gérald Darmanin was elected deputy for the North in 2012 (under the colors of the UMP), then a second time, in 2022 (under the label of the presidential majority). However, he left his place in the Assembly a month later, following his appointment as Minister of the Interior.
He therefore sat for almost four years on the benches of the National Assembly during the 14e legislature. In total, during this legislature, seven motions of censure were considered, but only four were debated in the hemicycle. And among them, the Minister of the Interior had indeed voted in favor of three texts alongside the only two deputies elected under the National Front (ex-RN) label: Gilbert Collard and Marion Maréchal.
- 20 mars 2013 : the motion of censure tabled by Christian Jacob, then president of the UMP group in the National Assembly is rejected. A total of 228 deputies voted in favor (far from the 287 votes needed). The text drew up a critical assessment of the first ten months of the presidency of François Hollande and his government then led by Jean-Marc Ayrault. Gérald Darmanin voted in favor of this text, alongside another member of the current government, the Minister of the Economy Bruno Le Maire. The FN deputies, Gilbert Collard and Marion Maréchal Le Pen, also spoke in favor.
- February 19, 2015 : in reaction to the use of 49.3 by the government to pass the Macron law, the presidents of the groups Les Républicains (LR) and Union of Democrats and Independents (UDI), Christian Jacob and Philippe Vigier, table a motion of censure. However, this was rejected: 234 deputies voted for it, whereas it would have taken 289 votes to bring down the government. Again, MP Darmanin voted in favor of this motion, as did Gilbert Collard and Marion Maréchal.
- June 18, 2015 : in the second reading of the Macron bill, Prime Minister Manuel Valls uses 49.3 again. MM. Jacob and Vigier again table a motion of censure. The latter is again rejected, with fewer votes this time (198 votes collected). And here again, Gérald Darmanin followed his parliamentary group, and voted in favor of this text. Marion Maréchal and Gilbert Collard are among the deputies who voted for this motion.
Asked about these votes, Thursday, on France Inter, the tenant of Place Beauvau, admitted to having “voted the motions of censure that my group tabled”. But according to him, the current situation is not comparable”, “we have never negotiated with Marion Maréchal sentences in the motion of censure”, he asserted. This accusation was rejected by the Insoumis. “Gérald Darmanin, who is a structural liar, (…) said that there had been negotiation. But no one negotiated anything.” reacted the leader of the Insoumis, Jean-Luc-Mélenchon.