France.. Macron approves pension reform, opposition plans to withdraw confidence from government

France's far-right opposition announced on Thursday it would submit a motion of no confidence in the government, following President Emmanuel Macron's decision to approve a controversial pension reform without a vote in the National Assembly.

Marine Le Pen, the far-right candidate in the 2022 presidential election and who leads the National Rally party's deputies, saw the decision as a "complete failure" for President Macron and his Prime Minister Elisabeth Bourne, who "cannot stay" in office.

Macron chose to pass the controversial pension reform bill without a vote in the National Assembly, according to sources close to the government. This provoked condemnation within the Assembly at the beginning of its meeting, at which it is supposed to vote on the draft.

The bill will continue its parliamentary course with a vote by the House of Representatives this evening. Before the vote, sources close to the government expressed concern that a majority in the House of Representatives would not be secured to pass the bill.

Demonstrations and strikes

The bill, which sparked demonstrations and strikes in France, reached its final stage on Thursday, when it was supposed to be put to a vote by lawmakers. Macron's decision to pass it before the vote clearly shows that his team was unable to muster a majority in the National Assembly that he could pass.

The Senate, where the coalition backing the president has a majority, voted Thursday morning without surprise in favor of reform, which raises the retirement age from 62 to 64.

Macron is betting much of his political capital on the project, which is his most important reform program during his second presidential term.

The president met Thursday morning at the Elysee Palace with the leaders of the blocs supporting him, and had two options: either go to a vote whose result is inconclusive, or the government passes the bill without a vote, based on a constitutional provision that allows it to do so.

Macron announced on Wednesday evening that he "wants to hold a vote" on Thursday, and figures from his entourage said that "all parliamentarians must be mobilized in a spirit of responsibility." The bill needs the support of lawmakers from the traditional right-wing party that is not part of the governing coalition.

A senior member of parliament in the government majority acknowledged that "losing is possible" in the vote, realizing that the bill is subject to a few votes and that the government and opposition are engaged in frantic calculations.

Since January 19, thousands of French people have demonstrated on eight occasions to express their opposition to the reform, and strikes have been held in several sectors, including the sanitation sector in Paris, resulting in the accumulation of garbage on the sidewalks of the French capital, one of the most prominent tourist cities in the world.

Government Justifications and Popular Rejection

Opponents of the reform say the text is "unfair", especially for women and workers in difficult jobs. Various opinion polls show that most French people reject him.

The French government chose to raise the statutory retirement age in response to the financial deterioration of pension funds and an aging population.

The retirement age in France is among the lowest among other European countries, and the draft law provides for gradually raising the legal retirement age from 62 to 64 years by 3 months per year, starting from September 2023, 2030 until <>.

It also provides for an increase in the period of contributions required for social security from 42 to 43 years, so that the pensioner receives his full pension, that is, without any deductions.

The government is counting on this amendment to ensure that the social security system, one of the pillars of the French social model, is funded.

The French government has reacted little to strikes and mobilization days, and has used rarely used constitutional provisions to speed up debate in parliament as the opposition has tried to slow down debates on the bill.

Trade unions on Wednesday evening formally called on "parliamentarians to vote against the draft law" on pension reform, adding: "This rejection (...) It will be in line with the public will that has been widely expressed in public debate."

According to the unions, more than 1.5 million people demonstrated in France on Wednesday, while the Interior Ministry estimated their number at 480,<>, and strikes continued on Wednesday to denounce pension reform in several key sectors (transport, electricity and gas, and others).

Garbage piled up in the capital on Wednesday, the tenth day of a strike by sanitation workers in certain neighborhoods of Paris.

According to the city council, about 7600,<> tons of waste are collected on sidewalks. Paris police prefect Laurent Nunez announced he would issue a harnessing order to force workers to remove garbage as the health situation in the world tourism capital deteriorates.