French Lend Confidence to Afghan Mission

Le Figaro reported Monday on a vote of confidence by the French National Assembly on the continuation of France's involvement in Afghanistan under NATO. A constitutional reform, pushed by President Sarkozy and supported by the right-wing majority of the UMP (Sarkozy's party), took place last summer. The measure forces the French executive to submit any military operations lasting more than 4 months to the National Assembly. In a way, this reform is very similar to the infamous 'War Powers Act' voted by the US Congress in 1973.

The vote was easily won by PM François Fillion, at a total of 343 votes to 210. The main opposition party, the left-wing Socialist Party (204 seats out of 577), voted in a bloc against the motion, although its former leader, Lionel Jospin, endorsed the mission with former President Jacques Chirac in 2001.

Furthermore, after the recent deaths of 10 French soldiers in Afghanistan, the motion includes a financial package aimed at sending 100 more elite soldiers and various military equipment.

The Socialist Party's goal is to bolster its popularity by riding on the wave of French opposition to the war. A recent poll showed that 62% of the French now support a withdrawal from Afghanistan. After suffering crippling defeats in municipal elections last year, will the UMP be able to regain control of the political agenda despite its support for the war? As the French tune in to the Socialist Party's convention in November - during which it will elect a new leader - we will soon see if it's able to capitalize on this opposition.