Dhe French government narrowly survived a vote of no confidence in the National Assembly and thus pushed through the controversial pension reform. According to the official voting result, only nine votes were missing up to an absolute majority for a first, cross-party motion of no confidence. A second motion by the right-wing populists, which will then be voted on, has virtually no chance of being accepted.
In the debate on the pension reform, the opposition in the National Assembly had previously expressed criticism. “The government has used all means to bypass Parliament,” Liberal MP Charles de Courson said in Parliament in Paris on Monday.
The leader of the Renaissance presidential party, Aurore Bergé, accused the left-wing opposition of “rolling out the red carpet for the right-wing extremists”. She alluded to the fact that the Liot splinter group had tabled a cross-party no-confidence motion in support of Marine Le Pen’s Rassemblement National. For her part, RN MP Laure Lavalette criticized a “reform of social injustice”.
The government-enforced summary procedure without a final vote in the National Assembly had further fueled angry protests against the reform across the country. The motions of no confidence had been tabled by the right-wing populist RN and the Liot splinter group.
Strike in refineries and garbage collection continues
On Monday morning, demonstrators temporarily blocked traffic at Rennes and elsewhere. The strike in the refineries and in the garbage collection continues. On Tuesday and Wednesday, a fifth of the flights at Paris-Orly and Marseille-Provence airports are to be canceled again. Rail traffic is also further affected. Another day of protests with strikes and demonstrations is planned for Thursday.
French President Emmanuel Macron stressed at the weekend that the reform was “pursuing its parliamentary path”. He emphasized that the reform had already been debated in Parliament for 170 hours and that the conciliation committee had worked out a compromise text.
The reform is the “cornerstone of economic change in France,” said Economics Minister Bruno Le Maire. Labor Minister Olivier Dussopt warned of “instability” if the government were to fall.
Among other things, the reform being pushed by Macron provides for gradually raising the retirement age from 62 to 64. In addition, the minimum pension is to be raised to 1,200 euros for a full contribution period and the employment of senior citizens is to be promoted. The project has been causing protests in France for weeks.
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