French Opposition in Battle Over Need for Syria Vote (Le Monde,
France)
"We, as one of the three major democracies concerned about
the problem of Syria, cannot be the only country not to vote." -- former
President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing
"I am shocked that France is relying on the opinion of the
American Congress, without any notice needing to be given to the French
Parliament." - former Education Minister Luc Chatel.
"As I am a Gaullist, I defend the capacity of the head of
state to commit the armed forces." -- former Industry Minister Christian
Estrosi
Odd man out: Opposition UMP President Jean-François Cope favors leaving it up to the nation's president to decide when French troops should be deployed, whereas much of his party, now seeking a return of Nicolas Sarkozy to the prime ministership, wants Parliament to be consulted first.
Can François Hollande engage France in military
action in Syria without a vote of the nation's representatives? The question is
being debated by the UMP [Union for a
Popular Movement]. Officials of the main opposition party are divided on
the need for a vote in Parliament, even though the Constitution
does not require the president to organize such a consultation.
A
supporter of military intervention, former Foreign Minister Alain Juppé favors a vote by MPs and senators.
On
Monday, in a speech to the Friends of Nicolas Sarkozy
Association gathered in Arcachon, Juppe, now the
mayor of Bordeaux, said "It would be the first time, in comparison with
the Ivory Coast, Libya or Mali, that France would intervene without a green
light from the United Nations. That is a break of sorts from the diplomatic
line we traditionally follow, and I think that would justify a vote in
Parliament."
Other
opposition voices have been rising, urging Mr. Hollande to hold a vote.
"France
cannot go to war without the clear support of Parliament," warned former
Prime Minister François Fillon, in the Journal du Dimanche. UMP leader Christian Jacob also wants a
parliamentary vote for the sake of government accountability, as does former
Defense Minister Gerard Longuet.
NO
VOTE REQUIRED
UMP
lawmakers Bernard Accoyer, François Baroin, Axel Poniatowski and
Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet are of the same opinion,
as is leader of the Union of Democrats and Independents [UDI]
Jean-Louis Borloo, and Democratic Movement [MoDem]
leader François Bayrou. Ten UMP MPs from The Popular
Right (a movement within the UMP), including Thierry Mariani,
have even warned that they would boycott the debate, scheduled for Wednesday,
unless a vote is held. On that day, MPs and senators are invited to discuss
intervention in Syria - but not to vote.
Under
the Constitution, the president is under no obligation to seek prior
parliamentary support to engage the troops. Article 35 provides that in cases
of military intervention, the government must "inform Parliament no later
than three days after the start of the intervention." Knowing that "this
information may give rise to a debate that is not followed by a vote."
PRESSURE
ON HOLLANDE
The
call for a formal vote is therefore intended to circumvents this regal
conception of power, whereby the head of state and army alone decide on armed
intervention. "Demanding government accountability allows us to respect
the tradition of the Fifth Republic,
while putting a little more pressure on Francois Hollande," explains a
former Sarkozy minister. A "yes" from
Parliament would allow Hollande, isolated on the diplomatic stage, to "at
least lean on the cohesion of the nation's representatives," confirmed Juppé.
As
far as supporters of a vote are concerned, France cannot be the only Western
democratic state not to consult its legislature before launching a military
intervention, as Britain has done and America is about to on September 9.
Posted
By Worldmeets.US
"We,
as one of the three major democracies concerned about the problem of Syria,
cannot be the only country not to vote," summarized former President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, on Europe 1 [Radio].
Some
see the fact that Mr. Hollande is forced to await a green light from his
American ally as an affront to French sovereignty.
"This
bothers me because it's up to the American Congress to decide for the French
people" lamented former Labor Minister Eric Woerth,
in Arcachon. "I am shocked that France is
relying on the opinion of the American Congress, without any notice needing to
be given to the French Parliament, "added his former colleague in
government, Luc Chatel.
COPÉ
HAS A DIFFERENT VIEW
If
many on the right call for consultation, UMP President Jean-François Copé stands out among the other key players. In an
interview in Le Monde on September 3, Copé asserts
that he didn't call for a vote because he believes it is the president of the
republic alone who must "choose" to organize one. In keeping with
Gaullist heritage and the spirit of the Fifth Republic, Copé
finds himself isolated in his own camp. In Arcachon,
only former Minister Christian
Estrosi defended the constitutional prerogatives of the president.
"As
I am a Gaullist, I defend the capacity of the head of state to commit the armed
forces," said Estrosi, now mayor of Nice.
The
UMP will try and tune their violins on Tuesday, at a special political committee
meeting, before Christian Jacob meets the group at the National Assembly [the
lower house of Parliament]. The Syrian question may create new divisions at the
heart of a party already deeply divided.
