The deputies adopted without surprise, the controversial bill transforming the health pass into a vaccination pass at second reading, early this Saturday morning, after a night of debates which will continue in a few hours in the Senate.
Started on December 29 in committee, the marathon of this twelfth health emergency text since March 2020 will end on Sunday afternoon, with a final vote by the National Assembly, at the end of a chaotic course marked by hiccups, controversies and twists. Started at 3 p.m. on Friday, the second reading of the text with the examination of nearly 450 amendments ended around 4 a.m. with adoption by 185 votes for, 69 against and 8 abstentions, in an electric atmosphere.
A version similar to that voted on at first reading
After the resounding failure of a compromise with the Senate, the deputies worked on a version of the bill close to that passed last week in first reading, but with certain modifications, sometimes inspired by the examination in the Senate, dominated by the right. Thus the vaccination pass will no longer apply to adolescents between 12 and 16 years old, who are still subject to the health pass.
“Verification of identity concordance” with the pass, reinforcement of sanctions against false passes, possibility of making access to political meetings subject to the presentation of a health or vaccination pass… The debates stumbled on the same provisions only at first reading, without the government and the majority changing course.
A text of “constraint”
The opponents of the text did not give up, like the elected LFI who defended in vain a motion of rejection beforehand against a text of “constraint” and scrapped on each of their amendments, multiplying the scratches against the majority and the executive, resulting in regular rises in tension. Accused of “political maneuvering” with this text then the failure of the joint joint committee (CMP), LREM and its allies have highlighted their “responsibility” and underlined the divisions at LR according to the votes.
The bill which was initially to be implemented from this Saturday, to deal with the outbreak of the omicron variant, is playing extra time in parliament due to new developments: surprise suspension of the debates on the first evening, controversial remarks by Emmanuel Macron and Thursday, when an agreement on this text seemed close, failure of the joint committee of deputies and senators, after a tweet from the boss of senators LR Bruno Retailleau.
