PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron faced cracks within his ruling alliance on Wednesday after parliament passed a toughened immigration bill, spurring the resignation of the health minister amid tensions over the new legislation.
The bill illustrates a rightward shift in politics in much of Europe as governments try to curb the rise of the far-right by being tougher on immigration.
A compromise between the centrist president’s party and the conservatives, the new legislation, which was voted late on Tuesday, also showed the difficulties for Macron of governing without a parliamentary majority, which he lost last year.
Other governments across Europe have also opted for tougher migration policies, and the European Union itself reached an agreement on Wednesday to reshape its migration and asylum rules with the aim to limit the number of incoming migrants.
In the Netherlands, the far-right’s Geert Wilders topped elections last month after the previous government collapsed over immigration. In Britain, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is facing deep divisions within his party over asylum policies.
In France, Health Minister Aurelien Rousseau resigned in protest over the immigration bill.
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