More than 50 hours of discussion in parliament were devoted to discussions on the draft budget for 2023. And for François Hollande, it is time to whistle the end of the game. Guest of “Sunday in politics”, this Sunday on France 3, the former President of the Republic believes that the “debate was long enough”. According to him, its adoption via article 49.3 would not be “shocking”.
As a reminder, this article of the Constitution gives the possibility to the Prime Minister, after deliberation of the Council of Ministers, to engage the responsibility of the government on the vote of a text. If the Prime Minister decides to resort to it, his decision entails the immediate suspension of the discussion of the bill. The text is considered adopted, without being put to the vote, unless a motion of censure is tabled within 24 hours. If the motion of censure is adopted, the text is rejected and the government is overthrown.
François Hollande justifies his position, which will probably be interpreted as a boost to the government. “The 49.3, at the time of the pension reform proposed by Edouard Philippe, it was a means of preventing the debate. When the debate has taken place and there is no majority, the Constitution authorizes the use of 49.3. It is most likely given that there is no absolute majority,” he explained, adding: “There is a time when the budget has to be voted on. »
“If political groups seek to come back to the French…”
If the Nupes and the National Rally have already announced that they want to file a motion of censure in the event of the use of 49.3, François Hollande does not see the point of dissolving the National Assembly. “Is that what one or the other is looking for? Today, in the current situation, would dissolution be the political solution? “, he pretended to question himself by immediately adding: “We have just voted: a presidential election, legislative elections … if political groups seek to return to the French, on the part of these groups, finally of that left, I don’t really see the point of it”.
A little earlier on Europe 1, Gabriel Attal, the Minister of Public Accounts, was more moderate. “I want us to go as far as possible in the debate” before warning: “If the opposition persists. 49.3 will be used. At the end of the end, we will have a budget, ”he explained, being well aware of only having a relative majority.
Still, according to him, the current debates on the budget are sometimes opposed to the two red lines set by the government: not to let slip the public accounts and no increase in taxes. “The amendments are almost 8 billion in additional spending,” he noted while the government, due to the circumstances, wants to at least stabilize France’s deficit in 2023.