The French Minister of Health, Aurélien Rousseau, decided this Wednesday to leave the Government in protest against the new immigration law approved late on Tuesday by Parliament. Rousseau is part of the left wing of Macronism, which has felt betrayed in its values by a norm blessed by the right and the extreme right.
Rousseau, 47, is a figure very close to Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne, with whom he worked in the past as head of cabinet. Hours before her resignation was confirmed, Borne denied that it was going to happen. It is possible that there had been last-minute pressure to change the mind of the resigner, who, however, did not participate in the Council of Ministers. The Government spokesman, Olivier Véran, confirmed the resignation after the Executive meeting and acknowledged that carrying out the law was a "dangerous mission" given the parliamentary balance of forces. Véran denied that there are other disgruntled ministers - up to six, according to some sources - who are going to follow in Rousseau's footsteps, as was speculated on Tuesday.
The minister until now was impacted by the changes in immigration. The Government has committed to soon reform, in a restrictive sense, the current very generous medical assistance for irregular immigrants. That is a great moral taboo for those who feel center-left.
Rousseau's departure confirms the deep crisis and fractures among the president's supporters. Beyond the immigration law, the root of the problem is the loss of the absolute majority in the legislative elections of June 2022. Despite the very broad constitutional powers granted to the president by the system of the Fifth Republic, established by General Charles de Gaulle in 1958, governing is a very complicated task if there is not a majority in Parliament consistent with the Elysée line.
The new immigration law provides for tougher treatment of foreigners in an irregular situation and temporary restrictions on those who are legally in order to obtain social subsidies. At the same time, however, the possibility opens up for the regularization of clandestine workers who already work in sectors with a labor shortage, such as construction, gastronomy or the agricultural sector. It is a strange balance to reconcile the government philosophy and the demands of the right and the extreme right.
Macron plans to speak to the country at seven pm this Wednesday to analyze the situation. It will be in a different setting than usual, not a televised message but an intervention in a political talk show on the public channel France 5. The president must fly to Jordan on Thursday for a pre-Christmas celebration at a French base of the multinational device to combat to the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.
