The Macron-backing group’s latest move is seen as a way of negating the far right’s argument that its voters are not being heeded. The exclusion of National Rally lawmakers from parliamentary jobs only fuels the party’s narrative of being a victim of the system, a pro-Macron MP said.
Any effort to bring in far-right MPs would further erode the so-called firewall or cordon sanitaire, invoked in many Western European countries and the European Parliament to keep the far right away from key institutional roles despite its growing electoral clout.
According to French parliamentary convention, the allocation of leadership positions — which include vice-presidents, quaestors and secretaries — is supposed to reflect the makeup of the lower house. These leadership positions form the Bureau of the National Assembly — the body that manages internal discipline, sanctions unruly lawmakers, and oversees revisions to the chamber’s rulebook.
The left holds a disproportionate number of Bureau seats relative to its electoral strength, according to the Macron-allied official. Currently, most of the posts are held by left-leaning lawmakers, while National Rally holds none.
Howls of protest
The debate over whether the National Rally should hold institutional power in parliament dates back to 2022, when Macron lost his majority for the first time and Le Pen’s party secured a record number of seats.
That year, the far right managed to clinch two of the six vice-president positions, thanks to votes from centrist and conservative MPs — despite howls of protest from the left-wing opposition.
