Scandal in the French parliament: Macron wants to impose his pension reform without the approval of deputies

The French government of the liberal president Emmanuel Macron He chose this Thursday to adopt his unpopular pension reform without submitting it to the vote of the deputies, after having failed in his attempt to obtain the necessary majority.

The last activation of controversial article 49.3 of the Constitutiona very controversial legal tool in France, could intensify tensions with the unions, which had called on Thursday to prevent this reform and which have already been organizing massive demonstrations for two months.

Macron chose to use 49.3 and the Council of Ministers gave its approvalsaid executive sources, a few minutes before the start of the session of the National Assembly (lower house) which was to decide on the reform.

There Prime Minister Elisabeth Bornewas responsible for announcing the activation of said mechanism which would imply the definitive adoption of the reform, if the deputies failed to approve a motion of censure against the government, but MPs tried to boycott the measure.

As lawmakers gathered in the National Assembly to pass the bill, the leftist MPs burst in singing the Marseillaise, the French national anthem, preventing Borne from speaking and forcing the spokesperson to temporarily suspend the sitting.

The atmosphere was tense outside parliament as heavily armed guards and riot police surrounded the picturesque neighborhoods around the National Assembly.

Macron wants Delay the retirement age from 62 to 64 by 2030 and advance the obligation to contribute from 43 to 2027 (and not 42 as up to now) to receive a full pension. Two out of three French people oppose it, according to polls.

The Senate had started this key day for the continuation of Macron’s mandate, which runs until 2027, with the adoption of the reform thanks to the votes of the ruling party and the right-wing opposition Los Republicanos (LR), which controls the high house. .

But beyond the project, the 45-year-old president, re-elected almost a year ago with the promise of reforming the second economy of the European Union (EU), risks being able to apply his program during his second term. And threatened to dissolve the Assembly in the event of a reverse.

Macron’s alliance lost its parliamentary majority last year, forcing the government to rely on conservative lawmakers to push the bill through. Left and far-right lawmakers are strongly opposed and conservatives are split, making the outcome unpredictable.

Since Wednesday evening, he had multiplied crisis meetings with the government and pro-government groups to ensure that there was a majority, which would avoid activating the controversial parliamentary procedure.

But its simple activation is considered a failure by observers.. In the opinion of the liberal newspaper L’Opinion, resorting to article 49.3 “would reinforce the image of “brutality” of his power and would fuel the social crisis”.

Several deputies have already announced the presentation of motions of censure to bring down the government and the reform. Since coming to power in May, Borne has faced a dozen, which have not been successful.

Nearly 500,000 people demonstrated across the country on Wednesday against the bill.

While waiting to see if it will finally be activated, all eyes are on a handful of pro-government MPs who could abstain and on “about twenty” LR lawmakers who, according to right-wing senator Bruno Retailleau, would vote against .

The bone the unions “solemnly” called on parliamentarians to vote against an “unfair” reform and against which between 1.28 million and 3.5 million people demonstrated on March 7, in the largest demonstration against social reform in three decades.

However, the answer seems to fall, because the The French recognize that this law will eventually be applied. And the protracted strikes launched last week in key sectors such as energy and transport are also continuing, but with less force.

The government also ordered the requisition of municipal waste collection staff in Paris to remove the 7,600 tonnes accumulated in the capital, after a fight with mayor Anne Hidalgo who supports the strikers.

But the adversaries do not throw in the towel. “I call on all those who oppose this reform to march on Paris (…) Don’t let them steal two years of your life,” left-wing MP Thomas Portes tweeted on Wednesday.

Key union leaders will meet again after the parliamentary process to analyze next steps.

If the reform is adopted, the left-wing opposition is preparing an appeal to the Constitutional Council which would delay its promulgation and give opponents time to use up their last cartridges, such as asking for a referendum.

(With information from AFP and AP)

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