They finally got there.
In the early hours of the day, while the majority of French people are still sleeping, the deputies have come to the end of the examination of the bill "carrying emergency measures for the protection of purchasing power".
After long and often tense debates, marked by interruptions of the session, reminders of the rules and invectives, in particular between elected officials of the RN and LFI, the final text was widely supported, around 5:50 a.m., to applause, with 341 votes for and 116 votes against.
The discussions lasted a little over four days, slightly longer than expected.
More than 1,100 amendments had been tabled, of which only a handful were finally adopted.
As a final bouquet, several modifications relating to the title of the bill were studied last: one of them, carried by Sandrine Rousseau and her colleagues, proposed to rename it “crumbs and coal” , when another, put forward by the rebellious, ironically suggested "for the quiet decrease in the purchasing power of employees".
A symbol of the conflicts and bitter remarks that punctuated the exchanges.
Unlike the examination of the health bill, which had been marked by a twist, this time, the oppositions did not succeed in forcing the executive to profoundly revise its copy.
What lead all the left parties to refuse to vote for the text: the Socialists thus accused the government of not having changed, and Sandrine Rousseau affirmed that a
"world"
separated the Nupes and the majority.
“Our society is in bad shape, and, basically, you are totally indifferent
to it,” she accused.
For its part, LR judged that certain measures were going
“in the right direction”
, finally supporting the text.
Next step: the amending budget
Modified by the deputies, the text carried by the government includes in particular an early revaluation of pensions and social benefits, the deconjugalization of the disabled adult allowance - supported, a rare occurrence, by all the benches -, measures to ensure the Hexagon's energy supply - which aroused the ire of members of Nupes -, the extension of the so-called "Macron" bonus or even a simplification of the termination of online subscriptions.
After the vote in the Assembly, it is on the agenda of the Senate, next Thursday.
For their part, the deputies will continue, by starting the examination of the 2022 amending budget, which also includes a number of measures for purchasing power.
Here again, the nights are likely to be long to end the discussions quickly: more than 950 amendments were tabled in public session, and certain subjects, including measures to reduce the fuel bill, are sure to provoke strong reactions.