Impeachment proceedings against France's Macron pass first hurdle

RFI

17 September 2024 at 0:54 pm·1-min read

The bureau of France's National Assembly has validated an impeachment procedure brought by hard-left MPs against President Emmanuel Macron. It's an unprecedented move in France, but it is highly unlikely the head of state will fall.

Impeachment proceedings against the French president passed their first round of parliamentary scrutiny Tuesday when the assembly's 22-person committee judged the procedure admissable, voting 12 to 10 in favour.

The procedure was launched by MPs from the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) party – the largest group within the leftist NFP alliance.

The result of Tuesday's vote came as little surprise, since NFP holds 12 seats in the bureau – the assembly's highest collegiate authority.

NFP won the most votes in snap parliamentary elections in July, though it failed to secure an outright majority.

LFI has accused Macron of carrying out an "anti-democratic coup" after he ruled out choosing its pick for prime minister, naming veteran conservative politician Michel Barnier instead.

A petition, signed by more than 300,000 people, refers to Macron's "unprecedented authoritarian drift ... in the system of representative democracy".

However, there is little chance of Macron being forced to step down.

The text must be approved by two-thirds of MPs – 385 out of 577.

The Socialists have also announced they will not vote to impeach Macron.

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