Paris (AFP)

Prime Minister Édouard Philippe left open on Tuesday the possibility of using article 49 (3) of the Constitution to have the pension reform project adopted without a vote, of which 70 hours of debate made it impossible to adopt until 'now only the first of 65 articles.

"When it is necessary to take responsibility, I do it without hesitation and I use the whole Constitution, nothing but the Constitution, but indeed the whole Constitution," argued during topical questions the head of government, according to whom "It is up to the National Assembly itself to bring this debate to life". "But from a certain point on, we have to be clear: we are committed to this universal pay-as-you-go pension system and the government's commitment, the majority fact, exists", he said. added.

The recourse to article 49, paragraph 3 of the Constitution, which requires a green light from the Council of Ministers, allows the Prime Minister to engage his responsibility on a text of law, and to have it thus adopted without a vote of Parliament ( excluding mention of censorship).

"My ambition is obviously to ensure that the debate takes place, that it is the most serious, the most in-depth, the most intelligent possible so that it has precisely its eminent function which belongs to Parliament. that is to say to make the law ", argued Edouard Philippe.

"But if that is not possible, if after many hours of debate, we find that it is not possible, then the Constitution authorizes, if necessary, the Prime Minister to use an article: the 49- 3 ", further detailed the head of government, recalling that several of his right-wing predecessors, notably Édouard Balladur and Jean-Pierre Raffarin, had used them in their time.

In the morning, the Prime Minister had already asked the LREM deputies to "stand still" in the face of the "obstruction" of the left of the left on pension reform, while ensuring that if necessary, he would take on his "responsibilities" using 49-3, as reported.

"When it comes to taking responsibility, I have not gotten into the habit of discarding myself. (...) The 49-3 is a responsibility of the Prime Minister. If I consider that this is how it should be go ahead, I will take my responsibilities, "he said during the closed-door meeting of the majority group.

"Our objective" is to "adopt the reform before the summer," he said, stressing that for this purpose, adoption at first reading is necessary in March at the National Assembly.

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