The art of staging national unity in times of war. In Parliament, elected officials had the right to return a provision of the Constitution which had not been applied for twenty years. Article 18 which allows the Head of State to address a message to the elected representatives of the nation. The last time, it was Jacques Chirac who sent his words of welcome to the Assembly elected in 2002. Emmanuel Macron’s message, Friday February 25, read simultaneously at 2.30 p.m. by the presidents of the two chambers, Richard Ferrand at the National Assembly and Gérard Larcher in the Senate, stood out by its seriousness, that of“a major geopolitical and historical turning point of the 21ste century » : the war waged by Russia in Ukraine since February 24.
Barely ten minutes passed during which all the elected officials, standing in their respective chambers and immersed in a rare silence, found themselves faced with the serious situation described by Mr. Macron. “Russia, turning its back on its commitments and on the diplomatic path, is choosing a destabilizing confrontation for the whole continent”, declaimed MM. Larcher and Ferrand. Emmanuel Macron, who had already addressed the French the day before, did not draw new perspectives. The declaration had above all a symbolic force. Through this message, he nevertheless announced that France would grant “additional budgetary aid of 300 million euros” to the Ukrainian State, while indicating to be “in contact with the Ukrainian authorities to provide them with the defensive equipment they need. »
In the National Assembly, these words aroused somewhat mixed reactions despite the applause in the hemicycle. Most of the deputies traveled, often several hours, from their constituencies to attend this ten-minute declaration. The elected representatives of the majority, galvanized by the rarity and the solemnity of the initiative, had come in large numbers. “We may be called upon to be mobilized later around this situation, so more than ever this address to Parliament was essential”, says Anne Genetet, spokesperson for the group La République en Marche. “At such important moments in history, the role of Parliament must be particularly respected, which is the case”, abounds the vice-president of the National Assembly, Sylvain Waserman (MoDem, Bas-Rhin). In his message to elected officials, Emmanuel Macron concluded with these words: “I know that beyond the differences which legitimately oppose you and which guarantee the vitality of our democracy, Parliament will be able to respond in unity around the fundamental principles enshrined in our Constitution: sovereignty, freedom and respect for the law. international. »
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