Defeated MPs are entitled to unemployment benefit

The National Assembly should again this year be renewed in significant proportions: of the 440 outgoing deputies who stood for legislative elections, 66 have already been eliminated in the first round on Sunday, against a backdrop of the breakthrough of the Nupes alliance on the left.

However, during the last legislature, the profiles of the deputies, for the most part from civil society, were more varied.

Most have ceased their professional activity for five years and will now look for a job - if it has not already been found, as for Mickaël Nogal (LREM) recruited by an agri-food lobby before the end of his mandate.

This case, which had raised eyebrows even in the ranks of the majority, is an exception, and reintegration is far from always obvious.

"According to a widespread rumor on social networks, the defeated deputies would retain their remuneration for five years" or "would benefit from a golden parachute" but "the reality is very different, and more normal", explains the outgoing PS deputy René Dosière , a specialist in public spending, in his book "Argent, morale, politique".

MPs from the age of 62 can receive a pension from the MPs' pension fund, in proportion to the annuities acquired. The rules are the same as those of the State civil service since a reform came into force in 2018. The net amount of a deputy's pension after 5 years in office thus amounts to 661 euros net and the contribution rate at 10,85% of the parliamentary allowance, that is to say their "salary".

Civil servants immediately return to their jobs. They were on availability during their mandate and no longer benefited from the promotion rules.

For former employees of the private sector with at least one year of seniority, there is a guarantee of professional reintegration, in the same job or a similar job, but only at the end of a first mandate. After several mandates, they benefit from a hiring priority.

In other cases, for those looking for work, unemployment benefits are involved. This was aligned in 2018 with the return to work allowance (ARE) scheme, which provides for the payment of 57% of the daily wage for 24 to 36 months. This corresponds to 4.127 euros gross monthly for deputies.

Before 2018, outgoing people could receive a degressive end-of-term allowance for three years.

The financing of the new allowance is ensured by a contribution from all deputies in office, equal to 1% of the parliamentary allowance.

Like the parliamentary allowance, the unemployment allowance and the guarantee of reintegration into the company are justified by the desire to allow any citizen, whatever their social condition, to be able to exercise a mandate as a deputy if they are elected.