The debates around the “revenue” section of the 2025 finance bill have clearly not aroused the enthusiasm of the elected representatives of the “common base”, which is supposed to support the Barnier government in the National Assembly. The collapse of the project by the left and extreme right oppositions, although predictable due to the relative majority of the government in the Bourbon Palace, could have been facilitated by the absenteeism and abstention of the deputies of the Republican right (Los Republicanos , LR ) and the central bloc (Renaissance, Horizons and MoDem) during the numerous votes organized on budget amendments, much higher than those observed in previous budgets, according to data published by the National Assembly.
In the Renaissance group, during the voting from October 22 to 26, abstention (there is a button on the desktop for this) and non-participation in voting increased to 80% on average (compared to 67% on average in all votes on the finance bill in the fall of 2022, and 84% in 2023). Among other government supports, this absenteeism increased to 87% in Horizons (compared to 71% in 2022 and 87% in 2023) and 85% in LR, whose elected officials show little solidarity among their ranks with the Prime Minister, Michel Barnier .
The low level of participation of deputies from the government base bothers even members of Barnier’s government. Thus, Marie-Agnès Poussier-Winsback (Horizons), minister delegate responsible for the social and solidarity economy, “he regrets it[ait] »on Tuesday, October 29 on Franceinfo, adding that the vote “The budget is an opportunity to highlight our convictions”. Beyond the exhibition, the high absenteeism of the central bloc’s elected officials contributed to them losing numerous votes in the “revenue” part of the budget.
In detail, and for each group, the trend decreased only slightly during the week of discussions and votes in the National Assembly. Voter turnout remained stable in the MoDem group and Renaissance, while absenteeism increased among LR and Horizons elected officials.
Ironically, regarding the government’s plan to address sick leave among civil servants, in particular to reduce absenteeism in the civil service, France insoumise coordinator Manuel Bompard recommended that the government “raise the issue of absenteeism of your own deputies”.
On the left, more deputies mobilized
Regarding his own troops, the “rebel” leader affirmed, on Monday, October 28 on France Inter, a level of presence “still around 70%”. The voting data actually shows an attendance rate of 53% on average during the period studied, which nevertheless makes it the most active parliamentary group in the National Assembly, five points ahead of the National Rally group.
More generally, deputies from the four groups of the New Popular Front were generally more mobilized than the right and the center during this first week of budget debates in session. Even their attendance rate at the Chamber tended to improve as the week progressed, until Saturday, October 26.
