Two arms of honor from the Minister of Justice Eric Dupond-Moretti in the hemicycle and a text from the majority group rejected: the National Assembly experienced a new tumultuous session on Tuesday during debates on the exemplary nature of elected officials.

The deputies had hardly begun their interventions at the end of the afternoon, on the proposal of the president of the Renaissance group Aurore Bergé, that the debates got out of hand.

The text aimed to impose a sentence of ineligibility on more perpetrators of violence. But it is criticized by the opposition as an opportunistic reaction to the conviction of rebellious deputy Adrien Quatennens in December for violence against his partner.

At the podium, the president of the LR group Olivier Marleix invited the majority to “offer a session of introspection”.

The deputy for Eure-et-Loir did not hesitate to list the convictions, indictments or investigations concerning members of the presidential camp, the deputy Damien Abad, the secretary general of the Elysée Alexis Kohler and, for finish, the Keeper of the Seals.

Eric Dupond-Moretti is suspected of having taken advantage of his position, once at the head of the Ministry of Justice, to settle scores with magistrates with whom he had had trouble when he was a lawyer, which he dispute. The Court of Justice of the Republic (CJR) ordered a trial for the minister but his lawyers filed an appeal in cassation.

Stung to the quick, the minister made two arms of honor. Faced with the outcry, he recognized and “regretted” his actions which, according to him, were “not addressed to the deputy Marleix” but to the attack “on the presumption of innocence”.

“You’ve been around a lot of thugs but it’s more than inappropriate,” Mr. Marleix corrected him.

It is “unworthy of your function”, launched the president of the LFI group Mathilde Panot, criticizing the members of the macronist camp “who give lessons in maintaining”.

Pressed during points of order on the right and on the left to make amends, the minister ended up presenting his “apologies” to Olivier Marleix “as well as to all the national representation”. Mr. Marleix asked in a letter to the President of the Assembly for access “to the images of this moment captured by the cameras”.

The president of the RN Marine Le Pen group estimated on Twitter that these arms of honor “discredit” Mr. Dupond-Moretti “in the eminent functions which are his” and that “it is up to the Prime Minister, now, to take his responsibilities”.

“For the first time under the Fifth Republic, a minister sends two arms of honor to the national representation. In any other democracy the Prime Minister would have demanded his resignation”, reacted the first secretary of the PS Olivier Faure, also on Twitter.

The debates finally resumed after the minister’s apologies, but in a climate that remained stormy.

The bill was presented the same day Adrien Quatennens returned to the Assembly, who remains suspended from the group of LFI deputies until April 13.

The text presented by Aurore Bergé intended to extend the mandatory additional penalty of ineligibility to a series of aggravated acts of violence: those committed against a minor under the age of 15, a vulnerable person, the spouse or even in the event of racist motivation, when they resulted in total incapacity for work less than or equal to 8 days – the law already covers ITTs of more than 8 days.

He had received the support of Eric Dupond-Moretti.

But most of the opposition voted against, like the MoDem and Horizons, yet allies of Renaissance, regretting a “law of circumstance”. The text was rejected by 140 votes against 113.

The LR deputies, who had initially announced that they would not oppose the text, voted against.

“Are people convicted of hitting their wives, their children, for racist or anti-Semitic violence worthy of being elected representatives of the Republic? The Assembly therefore answered yes (…) What cynicism”, lamented on Twitter Aurore Bergé.

Sacha Houlié, chairman of the Law Commission (Renaissance), pointed to “little tricks” and considered that “the Assembly has protected itself”.

Accused of “instrumentalization”, Ms. Bergé had assured to be “sincere”: “I know what I am talking about when I talk about domestic violence”.

03/07/2023 23:30:39 –         Paris (AFP) –         © 2023 AFP