French Parliament Deals a Resounding Blow to the Retailleau’s Remnants

The right wing and far right in France, along with the second Lecornu government, suffered a significant blow in parliament when their left-wing opponents successfully passed a new bill.

This bill effectively ties the hands of French local authorities, rife with anti-immigrant sentiment, by blocking a proposal to allow the automatic renewal of long-term residence permits.

The text was approved on Thursday evening, December 11, 2025, in the French National Assembly (the lower house of parliament) in its first reading, on the day dedicated to proposals from the Socialist group, before being placed on the Senate’s agenda. It was adopted by a majority of 98 votes to 37, thanks to the support of the left-wing MPs’ coalition.

According to the website of the French lower house of parliament, this law, proposed by Fatiha Keloua-Hachi, aims to address the issue of renewing long-term residence permits. The bill states: “This text proposes the automatic renewal of long-term residence permits for foreigners who benefit from a multi-year residence permit of up to four years or a residence card valid for ten years.”

The preamble to the draft law explained that “this text aims to simplify administrative procedures and serves as a testament to the Republic’s confidence in all those it welcomes and who, in turn, enrich it.” It was clearly aimed at the pockets of right-wing and far-right influence entrenched within French local administration, which, according to testimonies from those affected, had been illegally obstructing residency permit applications from immigrants, despite their fulfilment of all legal requirements.

These practices were exposed by Socialist Party MPs who drafted the proposal, and accused the administration of failing to fulfil its legal and constitutional duties. The preamble states: “The administrative apparatus is turning against the very interests it is supposed to serve when it places individuals in a precarious legal situation. Unfortunately, this reflection was not possible during the consideration of the recent legislation on this matter, as the parliamentary debate fell victim to a populist surge led by the far right in the Senate and then in the National Assembly.”

The new legal proposal places the responsibilities of local authorities in France squarely on their shoulders: “The proposed system aims to be simple, clear, and therefore effective. Residence permits will be automatically renewed by the administration unless it has legitimate grounds for objection, which it will be responsible for proving. In this way, the principle of preferential treatment will be applied to the foreign nationals concerned.”

The problem of obstructing residency permits for Algerians, in particular, has worsened dramatically since former French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau took office at the Beauvau hotel. Retailleau, who arrived with a strong animosity towards Algeria, went so far as to drag François Bayrou’s government into the political and diplomatic crisis that has been simmering between the two countries for about a year and a half.

Socialist MP Colette Capdevielle stated that the text aims to address a “flagrant injustice” related to the increased processing times for renewing long-term residence permits and residency cards. She pointed to instances of arbitrary treatment of permit applicants and denounced the obstacles they face, including the long queues they create outside local government offices. She commented that “the administrative apparatus itself is creating instability; we are creating illegal immigrants.”

The ratification of this legal text constitutes a resounding setback for the right and the far right, at the level of the lower house of parliament, and a painful blow to the orientations of this movement, which formulated its policies on hostility towards immigrants, a phenomenon that worsened during the era of the former Interior Minister, and took a hostile turn towards Algeria in particular.