France’s lower house approves law that tightens asylum rules
PARIS: France’s lower house approved by a large majority a controversial law that tightens asylum rules after tense debates that created the first cracks within President Emmanuel Macron’s party.
The French National Assembly voted in favour of the bill by 228 to 139, with 24 abstaining. Debates are due to follow in the upper house, the Senate, in the June.
The bill doubles to 90 days the time in which illegal migrants can be detained, shortens deadlines to apply for asylum and makes the illegal crossing of borders an offence punishable by one year in jail and fines.
The government has said it wanted to be both firm and fair on immigration, which has commanded public opinion since hundreds of thousands of migrants fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and Africa started moving to Europe.
The bill would also make it easier for minors to get asylum and aims to halve the time it takes for authorities to process any asylum request.
The bill received strident criticism from human rights groups and leftist parties and represented a key test for the unity of Macron’s centrist party.
A dozen lawmakers in the more than 300-seat majority have voiced concerns over the bill in recent days, not enough to defeat the government but the most serious sign of unease to date for the two-year- old movement.
One member of Macron’s majority voted against the bill, while 14 abstained.
“The most important thing for me is to be able to do my work, and part of my work is to vote fair laws,” said Sonia Krimi, a member of the majority, in a video posted online before the vote.
“Otherwise we’ll become like any other movement, with the tyranny of the party,” she added.
Embarrassingly for the government, far- right leader Marine Le Pen and her fellow National Front lawmakers voted in favour of some of the bills’ articles.
Before the vote, Macron’s party whip Richard Ferrand had warned his members that although abstaining would only be considered a ‘ venial sin’ by party hierarchy, voting against the bill would constitute a ‘mortal sin.’ — Reuters