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".
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Unlikely impeachment
Impeachment proceedings have never gone this far before. Ten years ago, a proposal tabled by the right against then Socialist president François Hollande didn't get beyond the committee stage.
However, there is little chance of Macron being forced to step down.
Under Article 68 of the Constitution, the motion now has to be examined by the assembly's Law Committe, before being put to a wider vote by MPs.
The text must be approved by two-thirds of MPs – 385 out of 577.
Mathematically that's highly unlikely as Macron can count on his centrist Ensemble (Together) coalition and the mainstream right Republicans to vote against.
Outgoing prime minister Gabriel Attal has described the motion as "a declaration of war on our institutions".
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The far-right National Rally (RN) and its allies – with 143 MPs – will not vote in favour either.
RN figurehead Marine Le Pen has termed the motion a "sinister comedy" and accused the left of spreading "disorder and chaos".
The Socialists have also announced they will not vote to impeach Macron.
Should it pass the MP hurdle, it will then go to the Senate, where Ensemble and the Republicans hold a majority.
Tuesday's vote is, however, a strong symbolic victory for the leftist alliance.
“It’s an opportunity to put Emmanuel Macron’s early departure on the public agenda,” said LFI MP Clemence Guetté, while fellow MP Antoine Léaument hailed a "parliamentary riposte".
NFP has called for nationwide demonstrations on Saturday "to depose Macron".
