Retreats: opponents of 49.3 mobilized in the Assembly and in the street

Text by: RFI Follow

After the coup of 49.3 to pass the pension reform without a vote, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe will face this Tuesday, March 3, two motions of censorship, while the unions are calling for a new day of mobilization.

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The use of 49.3 caused a stir even in the ranks of the presidential party. Rhône deputy Hubert Julien-Laferrière announced on Monday that he was leaving the La République en Marche group in the National Assembly in reaction to the government's decision to use this article to push through its pension reform. He followed in the footsteps of Senator des Bouches-du-Rhône Michel Amiel who also announced his departure.

And this Tuesday, it is not one, but two motions of censorship that Edouard Philippe will have to face: one, tabled by Les Républicains, the other by the socialists, rebellious and communists. Their rejection is beyond doubt, as LaREM and its allies still have a large majority in the hemicycle. The bill will then be considered adopted.

However, the evening promises to be very hectic at the Palais Bourbon. The rebellious France calls for new " popular mobilizations ". His deputy François Ruffin even goes so far as to demand " an outright dissolution " of the Assembly. Denouncing " the brutality of the government ", the National Rally will vote on its side " all motions of censorship wherever they come from ". The Republicans want to make their own " a motion for proposals " to defend their own project.

In any case, the opposition members have not said their last word . As of Wednesday, they will have to deal with the second part of the reform, the organic bill and its 2,000 amendments. The two parts of the project will then go to the Senate, with a majority on the right. For the government, the pension battle is far from over.

It also continues on the street. The intersyndicale opposed to the reform (CGT, FO, CFE-CGC, FSU and Solidaires) calls for demonstrations on Tuesday to denounce a " passage in force " in the middle of a coronavirus crisis. Demonstrations are planned in front of the prefectures and sub-prefectures. In Paris, a procession will march from Place de la République to Concorde.

This Monday evening, nearly a thousand demonstrators gathered in front of the Marseille prefecture to denounce a “ denial of democracy ”. “ 49.3 on a Saturday evening, it rekindled the dispute. People are furious. We are in a democracy, not in a dictatorship. Mr. Macron has not had a blank check for five years, ”protests Laurent Tramoni, secretary of the teacher union SNES-FSU, at the microphone of our correspondent Stéphane Burgatt . These demonstrators hope for a strong return to the protest movement, with the crosshairs of the day of interprofessional mobilization on March 31.

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• France
• French politics
• Edouard Philippe

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