A simple tie and the entire political class gets carried away.
For a week, this piece of fabric has become the object of all the fervor and disfavor.
In question: on July 21, the quaestor of the National Assembly, Éric Ciotti asked the President of the National Assembly, Yaël Braun-Pivet, to make the wearing of a tie compulsory, castigating the outfits "more and more more relaxed" of certain deputies.
He was quickly joined by the president of the Paca region, Renaud Muselier.
On July 21, the latter, guest of BFMTV, then described the parliamentary group of Nupes as “dirty left, scruffy and shouting everywhere.
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I ask the President of the National Assembly, the obligation to wear a tie in the hemicycle of the Palais Bourbon to prevent certain deputies, in particular from France Insoumise, from allowing themselves to wear more and more relaxed outfits.
pic.twitter.com/WvdOvG0XQ0
— Eric Ciotti (@ECiotti) July 21, 2022
Faced with these remarks, the president of the Palais-Bourbon was quick to react.
"I'm not here to exercise the dress police in the Assembly, I trust the parliamentarians," she said on Monday July 25.
The reactions were not slow either on the side of the Insoumis.
Tuesday, July 26, dressed in ties, the elected members of the parliamentary group wanted to "snub their nose to stand up to Éric Ciotti", as explained by the rebellious elected Clémentine Autain.
Crossing the doors of the National Assembly, they wanted to speak out against “sexism” within the institution.
Rules and practices for parliamentarians
“Parliamentary dress has always been regulatory, even if there have never really been written rules,” explains constitutionalist Elina Lemaire.
But in 2018, the National Assembly amended by decree Article 9 (“Holding in session”) of the General Instruction of the Office of the National Assembly.
It is now indicated that “the clothing adopted by the deputies in the hemicycle must remain neutral and be similar to business attire.
It can not be the pretext for the manifestation of the expression of any opinion: the wearing of any conspicuous religious symbol, a uniform, logos or commercial messages or slogans of a political nature is thus prohibited.
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A change occurred after the deputy of the Somme, François Ruffin presented himself at the podium of the National Assembly wearing a jersey of the amateur football club Olympique Eaucourtois, on December 7, 2017. The deputy LFI wishes the support the bill aimed at introducing a tax on the transfers of professional sportsmen.
Following the incident, the left-wing elected official was fined 1,500 euros, equivalent to a quarter of his parliamentary allowance for one month.
Represent the people or be like them, that is the question
The turmoil around wearing a tie is not new.
In 2008, the ecologist deputy (then LREM) François de Rugy already addressed the issue.
"As our Assembly is no doubt called upon to sit throughout the month of July, it would seem to me symbolically interesting that the provisions of our regulations which require all male deputies to wear a suit and tie to participate in sittings in the hemicycle be modified or at least suspended during the summer period”, can we read in a letter from the time, addressed to the press.
The idea behind?
Reduce the use of air conditioning, as a gesture for ecology.
“Clothing in politics is not a trivial subject.
We have always wondered about the attire of political representatives.
They are the embodiment of the state,” explains Elina Lemaire, lecturer in public law.
"The non-wearing of a tie was very quickly associated with the far left, behind the idea of resembling the people, who do not necessarily wear one" details this constitutionalist.
The academic indicates that this "politicization of the non-wearing of a tie" crystallizes above all a political divide.
“Part of the political class is in favor of wearing a tie.
The idea?
Represent the people and for that you have to distance yourself from them and be neutral.
Slightly contradictory for this academic.
"In a way, it's paradoxical to impose neutrality when elected officials are elected on a necessarily oriented political program," she concludes.