It is the smallest of the ten political groups in the National Assembly and the most heterogeneous: the spotlight is on Liot, the first expected signatory of a "transpartisan" censure motion which must be tabled Friday against the government in response to the 49.3.
Twenty deputies are united under the expanding banner of the Libertés, Indépendants, Outre-mer et Territoires (Liot) group. Centrist elected officials from overseas, Corsican nationalists and, since September, four PS dissidents unhappy with their party's alliance with the Insoumis.
"We are independent deputies who work outside political divisions," summed up their leader, Meuse deputy Bertrand Pancher, on Friday. Coming from the Radical Party, he claims to be a humanism "through dialogue, through territories and a new form of democracy" less vertical.
"Clearly in opposition", the Liot group was not hostile to making agreements with the presidential camp "on major political projects since there was no majority" in the National Assembly.
President Emmanuel Macron had even cited him among those, with the group Les Républicains (LR), with whom he wished to be able to forge an "alliance" to allow certain texts to be adopted at the Palais-Bourbon.
But the executive's method of carrying out its pension reform has caused a split, and Liot finds himself propelled into the leader of the revolt against the government after the outbreak of 49.3 on Thursday by Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne. "We have the ability to bring together as many people as possible," argues Bertrand Pancher.
The absence of a marked political color of the group must indeed allow all the other opponents to rally to the motion of censure "transpartisan", contrary to that which intends to deposit the group Rassemblement national, ready however to vote the motions of the others.
Liot not having a sufficient number of deputies to table it alone, the four groups of the left alliance Nupes have already announced their intention to bring their reinforcement to reach the sixty signatures required.
Before a formal deposit, Bertrand Pancher, who should appear as the first signatory, explained on Friday that he was still trying to convince LR deputies to affix their signature. Beyond the question of the signatories, a motion of censure must obtain an absolute majority in the National Assembly, or 287 votes. This would require around thirty LR deputies (out of 61) to bring theirs during the vote.
