Jean-Luc Mélenchon has invoked Article 35 of the French Constitution in opposing the deployment of French military personnel to Saudi Arabia, according to Le Figaro. The newspaper published an explainer on the clause on Friday, September 25, 2026, setting out what the article provides as the debate over the mission continues.
The dispute follows Emmanuel Macron's announcement that France will send military assets to help protect the Saudi port of Yanbu, a site described as strategic. Le Monde reports that both the far-right National Rally (RN) and Mélenchon's La France Insoumise (LFI) object to the move. Le Parisien framed the same question around whether the president can dispatch soldiers to Saudi Arabia without consulting Parliament, quoting the phrase "Pas question de devenir belligérant" — no question of becoming a belligerent.
Article 35 of the Constitution governs how Parliament is informed and consulted on the commitment of French armed forces abroad. Le Figaro's explainer was prompted by Mélenchon's reliance on the provision, though the material available does not detail the article's specific wording or the exact procedure it requires.
The political context is a divided response to the Yanbu mission. Opposition from both LFI and the RN places the deployment under scrutiny from opposite ends of the spectrum, while the government has presented the operation as a protective measure for a strategic site.
What to watch next: whether the government formally triggers a parliamentary debate or vote under Article 35, and how that process shapes the Yanbu deployment.
