No, French MPs do not take 45 days of vacation

As the government considers abolishing two public holidays, a controversy is stirring on social media: will parliamentarians be on vacation until the resumption of parliamentary work in September? No, because their job also involves working in their constituencies.

With the last Council of Ministers meeting on Wednesday, July 30, the government enters its summer recess. For MPs, the break has already begun: the National Assembly ceased sitting on July 10, prompting a reaction on social media, particularly after a viral video by lawyer and influencer Sarah Saldmann.

She posed in front of the Palais Bourbon, a video viewed more than two million times: "They're taking away two public holidays, and on the other side you have MPs who are going to take 45 days of vacation! This is extraordinary, this mockery," protests Sarah Salmann. A charge that has been widely commented on by internet users.

It's false to say that MPs take 45 days of vacation. The National Assembly doesn't sit during the summer, but that doesn't mean MPs are on vacation or unoccupied. This period, called "parliamentary recess," is an opportunity for elected officials to return to their constituencies. Several MPs, interviewed in the press in recent days, even claim that activity remains intense. Meetings with mayors, associations, field visits, or preparing local files: the summer allows them to catch up on what is difficult to do during the session.

An elected official quoted by La Voix du Nord explains that summer allows for appointments that one doesn't have time to honor during the year. Several parliamentarians' Facebook pages show continued activity after July 10. Even the National Assembly's website shows that some meetings were held after that date. There is indeed a summer break, but it doesn't mean a continuous 45-day vacation.

And what about the ministers in all this? There's no written rule, but a tradition that has become stricter. Since the controversies of the 2000s, members of the government have been asked to remain available during the summer. In 2003, an interview with Health Minister Jean-François Mattei, wearing a polo shirt while on vacation in the Var region, while a heatwave was killing thousands, caused an outcry.

In 2019, Élisabeth Borne , then Minister of Ecological Transition, was criticized for a trip to Marrakech in the midst of a social crisis. Since then, the unwritten rules have been clear: ministers must remain reachable and, unless otherwise authorized, they must not travel more than two hours from a prefecture. In 2023, a circular even reiterated these instructions. This summer, there was no official note according to Matignon, but Prime Minister François Bayrou announced that he would remain mobilized throughout the summer, and several ministers from his government are expected to travel with him.