National Assembly: in which political groups do elected overseas representatives sit? – Overseas the 1st

Negotiations, recompositions and political ambitions. To be able to weigh in the new legislature – inaugurated on Tuesday June 28 by the election to the perch of the ephemeral Minister of Overseas Yaël Braun-Pivet -, the deputies must join, if they want, to a political group . A place in a parliamentary committee and their speaking time in the hemicycle depend on it. But what will be the place of elected officials from overseas in this more fragmented hemicycle than ever?

The idea of ​​an overseas group in the National Assembly had resurfaced between the two rounds of the legislative elections. Then Olivier Serva, Guadeloupean deputy, got carried away on his return to the Palais Bourbon by announcing the creation of a group dedicated to the problems of the Overseas Territories. Finally, it is the Democratic and Republican Left group (GDR) which collects the most Ultramarines. Overseas The 1st takes stock.

Nearly half of the elected members of the GDR group (ten out of twenty-two) are Ultramarines. Five years ago, there were only four. A feat for the Communists, while the left-wing elected representatives from Overseas had the choice between four formations if they wanted to sit in the New Popular, Ecological and Social Union (Nupes).

Traditionally, it is an exchange of good practices that justifies the strong presence of ultramarine deputies within this group. The elected Communists open their ranks to the Ultramarines in order to reach the fateful threshold of fifteen deputies to be able to form an independent group. In return, elected officials from overseas – who are not communists – enjoy freedom of speech and vote within the GDR. A good way to defend cases specific to the Overseas Territories.

Moetai Brothersondean of the Polynesians, who had already joined this group during the last legislature, brought with him the two newly elected separatists, Steve Chailloux and Tematai Le Gayic. Satisfied with his freedom of speech within the group, Moetai Brotherson wanted to continue collaborating with the Communists. Most members of the GDR also proudly wore a flower necklace during the group photo on the steps of the National Assembly on Tuesday.

Return also of the Reunion MP Karine Lebonwhich attracted two newly elected representatives from Reunion, Frederic Jersey and Emeline K/Bidi. For the latter, sitting in this group is a guarantee of independence and freedom of speech.

The communist-dominated group also managed to recruit two new Martinican elected officials, despite the departure of Jean-Philippe Nilor, who preferred to join rebellious France. the lawyer Jiovanny William and the mayor of Le Prêcheur Marcellin Nadeau compensate for this loss.

Finally, a duo of Guyanese MPs joined the group: Jean-Victor Castorthe Movement for Decolonization and Social Emancipation (MDES, an independentist party) and Davy Rimane promised to jointly bring the voice of Guyanese to the National Assembly. Even if the MDES representative was not supported by the New Popular, Ecological and Social Union before the second round of legislative elections, it was in a group affiliated with Nupes that he agreed to sit.

By adding up the overseas elected officials sitting with the Communists, the Socialists and the rebellious, the Overseas left stands out in force in this new legislature: they are 17 to sit in one of the four groups of the Nupes.

But the distribution of Ultramarines within the various groups must be a slight disappointment for La France insoumise, which would have liked its political formation to exceed the number of elected members of the National Rally at the Palais Bourbon: only three deputies from Overseas came swell its ranks. These are the Reunionese Jean-Hugues Ratenon (already a member of the group during the previous legislature) and Perceval Gaillardas well as Martiniquais Jean-Philippe Nilor.

The Socialist Party, meanwhile, is doing better, with four overseas elected officials registered as affiliates: Christian Baptist, Elijah Califier (Guadeloupe), Johnny Hajjar (Martinique) and Philippe Naillet (Meeting).

It’s a disappointment for Olivier Serva and Max Mathiasin. The two men were delighted with the creation of a new Useful group – Ultramarines, Territories, Insularities, Freedom, Equality and Solidarity -, “thanks to which we [aurions pu] make the voice of the Overseas Territories and the territories of France heard better, living witnesses of particularisms”. The two Guadeloupean politicians hoped to bring together several overseas elected officials, but also Corsican nationalists, social democrats and those without labels…

But ultimately, this group – which is above all a reincarnation of Libertés et Territoires – is called Libertés, Indépendants, Outre-mer, Territoires (LIOT). Olivier Serva was carried away by assuring that the president of this new formation would come from Overseas. It was a waste of time, it was Bertrand Pancher, deputy for the Meuse, who took the reins of the group.

Olivier Serva, deputy of Guadeloupe, to the National Assembly.

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© Quentin Menu

LIOT, which wants to be a constructive opposition group, appears more as a refuge group for dissident overseas elected officials in search of political weight than as an entity capable of defending the specific interests of overseas territories.

Olivier Serva, a former member of the presidential majority, resigned from La République en Marche a few days before the legislative elections. Supported by the Nupes in the second round, he finally decided to go into exile in the micro group LIOT (the smallest in the Assembly). This is also the case of his Guadeloupean colleague, Max Mathiasinfrom the MoDem, but who campaigned when a candidate from Emmanuel Macron’s party had been invested in front of him.

Another dissident, but from the Republicans this time: Nathalie Bassire, elected from Reunion. Neither LR, nor macronist, it is in this group – which wants to be politically centrist – that she decided to deport. She was notably the LIOT candidate to take the presidency of the National Assembly.

Stephane Lenormand, meanwhile, was expected to sit in the center-right group UDI (Union of Democrats and Independents). But the political formation lost almost all of its seats – including that of its president Jean-Christophe Lagarde. It therefore no longer has the minimum number of MEPs necessary to form a political group. The deputy for Saint-Pierre and Miquelon then withdrew towards LIOT.

Finally, Estelle Youssouffa, elected without a label in Mayotte, but with very right-wing ideals on migration and security issues, also joined the group Libertés, Indépendants, Outre-mer, Territoires. For the elected official who wants above all to defend important issues for her island, this political group will serve as a back-up force when no party has obtained an absolute majority in the Assembly: “We are not forbidden to vote on the projects if the government meets our expectations”she said on her arrival at the Palais Bourbon.

Illustration of the electoral slap that the party in power took during the presidential and legislative elections, the ranks of Renaissance, MoDem and Horizons are poor in Ultramarines. The presidential majority can only boast of having recruited loyalist deputies from New Caledonia, Philippe Dunoyer and Nicholas Metzdorf. Mikaele SeoMP for Wallis and Futuna, also sits in the majority group.

Caledonian deputies Nicolas Metzdorf and Philippe Dunoyer at the National Assembly.

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©Nordine Bensmail

Finally, Frantz Gumbssupported by the party of Emmanuel Macron during the elections in Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy, took its place within the MoDem group.

Faced with the electoral rout of the Les Républicains party at the national level, but also in the Overseas Territories, Mansour Kamardine is an exception. The MP for Mayotte is the only overseas elected official to sit with the MPs of the Republican right.