Castex rant: the opposition responds with a massive boycott in the Senate

The atmosphere was tense this Thursday afternoon in the hemicycle of the Palais du Luxembourg.

The day after Emmanuel Macron's speech, Prime Minister Jean Castex made a statement to the senators at 3 p.m. on “the evolution of the health situation”, followed by a debate and a vote.

But the LR, PS, environmentalist, communist and centrist groups have decided to form a united front by not taking part in the vote on the government's health measures, which according to them “despises” Parliament.

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"We are asked to vote for nothing because the decisions have already been taken," denounced Bruno Retailleau, the president of the LR group in the Senate, dominated by the right-wing opposition.

The latter thus "proposed" to the senators of his group not to participate in the vote.

The socialist, communist, environmentalist and RDSE groups followed suit, criticizing a debate that comes after the announcements of Emmanuel Macron.

A shower of criticism

“Parliament has disappeared from decision-making,” summed up Hervé Marseille, president of the centrist Union group.

The left drives the point home: “you did not learn from the previous sequences.

The management of the epidemic has deteriorated.

You take the parliamentary chambers for a doormat in the service of the Elysian doxa ”blasted Patrick Kenner, president of the socialist group.

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The Greens also fire their arrows: “The complexity of the challenge we face requires relying on the elected representatives of the people.

Governance remains lonely and erratic ”, tackled Guillaume Gontard, president of the environmental group.

Before recalling a few figures, "a year of pandemic and soon 100,000 dead in France", as well as "exploding social inequalities".

"I find you particularly severe"

Faced with the group attack of the senators, Jean Castex defended the actions of his government without containing his annoyance.

“We're going to have to stick together.

I do not necessarily say politically, of course, I am not naive, I say this for our country, to face this new ordeal.

I find you particularly severe, I tell you as I think it is, he replied to them about the vaccination, raising his tone.

Do not pretend that we could find doses anywhere, it is not responsible.

"

Then the Prime Minister aroused a mood of protest in the ranks of the hemicycle immediately pronounced the expression "resuscitation beds".

“Here again, don't make people believe that we can create intensive care beds in a year, don't pretend not to have understood!

You don't train an anesthesiologist in a year and you know it!

It all comes from afar, ”he scolded, addressing the president of the Socialist Group.

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Jean Castex also assured the Senate that he respected Parliament and that all government decisions fell within the powers permitted by the Constitution.

"We cannot nevertheless blame the government for applying the Constitution of the Republic", he exclaimed.

Earlier in the day, the head of government had already warmed up in the National Assembly, where opposition deputies expressed the same reproaches.

VIDEO.

Confinement: Jean Castex's anger in the face of criticism from the opposition in the Assembly

At the end of the particularly defensive speech of Prime Minister Jean Castex and the interventions of the group presidents, only 45 senators out of 348 took part in the vote, for a total of 41 votes cast.

The vast majority of the hemicycle, right and left combined, did not take part in the vote, denouncing "a sham of democracy".

Technically, the restrictive measures were still approved with 39 votes in favor and two against.