Inquiry commission delayed by political disagreement

The inquiry commission into the violence that occurred during the October 17 demonstrations has not yet begun its work. A meeting organized at the National Assembly on Tuesday did not lead to a resolution for the launch of the commission, which is boycotted by the National Rally (RN), which was deprived of a rapporteur position. Several solutions were proposed to the deputies.

Rapporteur positions spark conflict

Promptly launched by the president of the Palais-Bourbon, Yaël Braun-Pivet, the day after the violence that marked the mobilizations, the commission has been blocked since then. The cause is the allocation of strategic rapporteur positions, which were assigned to two left-wing deputies, Pouria Amirshahi (Ecologist and Social) and Roger Vicot (PS), and to a member of the Horizons group, Agnès Firmin Le Bodo, following a secret ballot. And this despite an informal prior agreement aimed at respecting the political balances of the Palais-Bourbon.

RN threatens to boycott proceedings

Deprived of a position, the RN announced its intention to boycott the proceedings. Agnès Firmin Le Bodo later stated that she was stepping back from her role as rapporteur, fearing that the "credibility" of the inquiry commission would be threatened. Since then, a status quo, or nearly so. An animated meeting took place on Tuesday at the National Assembly, in the hope of finding a solution to this impasse, but no agreement was reached. The left specifically opposed the idea of creating a fourth rapporteur position for the RN.

Deputies propose alternative solutions

Contacted by LCP, Vincent Caure (Together for the Republic), the president of the laws committee transformed into an inquiry commission, stated that he was available to all groups and the president of the National Assembly to try to identify a way forward, either through an additional appointment or through the establishment of an information mission in place of the inquiry commission. However, at this stage, the deputy could only note the lack of agreement between the political camps.

Debates over legitimacy and compromise

"There was a vote, there was a vote result. We are not happy about not having a rapporteur. [...] We were defeated. Have we left the inquiry commission for that? No," emphasized Mathilde Panot (La France insoumise) before the press on Tuesday. "The RN is trying to block this commission by making a caprice," stated the leader of LFI deputies, estimating that the group led by Sébastien Chenu was trying to "entrench a necessary inquiry commission." She considered the proposals made during the meeting, notably the idea of organizing a new vote in the event of a formal resignation by Agnès Firmin Le Bodo, as "scandalous."

Political groups highlight tensions

LFI and the RN "were defeated" in the vote, noted Stéphane Peu before the press. "It is enough for Madame Le Pen to raise an eyebrow for Madame Braun-Pivet to submit, but we are not in agreement," emphasized the president of the Left Democratic and Republican group. "It is another example of the tolerance and drift of the current majority towards the RN." "If there is a blockage, it is rather Macronism," added Romain Eskenazi (PS), noting that the RN had only "lost a vote."

Commission’s future uncertain

"We are a bit stuck. [...] If we include the RN, the left leaves, if we do not include the RN, the RN does not come," noted Perrine Goulet (The Democrats). "If neither side makes a compromise, the inquiry commission is dead." To avoid this diagnosis, the president of the National Assembly must now contact the group presidents to decide the future of the commission, as stated by Mathilde Panot.