The French president drops the possibility of calling new legislative elections if the political groups unite to block the pension reform
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has threatened to dissolve the National Assembly and call new legislative elections if the debates on the pension reform fail and the opposition joins forces to present a motion of censure against the government of Élisabeth Borne, as revealed by le local press.
“If a motion of censure is approved, I dissolve immediately,” Macron warned yesterday at a dinner at the Elysée Palace before several ministers and representatives of the presidential majority, the parties that support the President of the Republic. “It’s a bluff, a threat, blackmail, what violence,” said Fabien Roussel, leader of the French Communist Party, in favor of a referendum on pension reform, instead of calling new legislative elections.
The president’s threat to dissolve the National Assembly coincided with the first strike of the new political course in France. The strike in 200 cities was little supported, since it was only called by part of the unions. The strikers demanded wage increases to compensate for inflation and protested against pension reform.
According to article 12 of the French Constitution, “the President of the Republic may, after consultation with the Prime Minister and the Presidents of the Chambers, agree to the dissolution of the National Assembly.” This decision would automatically lead to the calling of new legislative elections in France. The elections would be held between 20 and 40 days after the dissolution.
Approval by decree
La France Insumisa, Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s party, and Marine Le Pen’s National Regroupment (former National Front) are willing to present a motion of censure if the Government resorts to the famous article 49.3 to approve the pension reform by decree, without going through the vote of the National Assembly.
In order to approve the motion of censure, at least 289 deputies are needed. Nupes –the alliance of leftist parties– and the extreme right have 240 votes. For the motion of censure to be approved, they would therefore need the support of the Republicans, who have 62 seats. “If all the opposition parties unite to adopt a motion of censure and bring down the government”, there would be new legislative elections and “the French would choose and decide which is the new majority they want”, explained the Employment Minister, Olivier Dussopt.
Macron’s threat to dissolve the National Assembly if the pension reform fails is directed at the opposition, especially the Republicans. If new elections are held, the pro-reform Conservative Party could get an even worse result than the June debacle.
Macron is also in danger if he dissolves the National Assembly. The last president to do so was Jacques Chirac in 1997. The left won those legislative elections and there was cohabitation with Lionel Jospin as prime minister. Currently, Macron’s party and its allies have a simple majority in the National Assembly, after the June legislative elections, in which they lost the absolute majority.
The pension reform, parked in March 2020 by Macron in his first term due to the Covid-19 health crisis, is one of his electoral promises. The French Executive trusts that the legislative text will be ready in January so that the pension reform enters into force in the summer of 2023.
Macron, re-elected president in April, wants to delay the retirement age from 62 to 64 in 2027 and to 65 in 2031. The president also wants to simplify the current complex pension system, from 42 different plans to one, and promises a minimum pension of 1,000 euros to all French people who have the full contribution period. But most unions and several opposition parties are opposed because they fear that citizens will have to work longer and receive less pension under the new system.
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