Emmanuel Macron faces the specter of an ungovernable and revolted France. The opposition to the French president begins to prepare strategies in order to overthrow his government, headed by Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, after the approval yesterday by decree of the unpopular pension reform, while tension in the streets increases.

The decision to move forward without the vote of the Assembly this reform, whose main measure is to delay the retirement age from the current 62 to 64, has opened a political and social crisis with unpredictable consequences. Two parties have tabled no-confidence motions to be voted on Monday, but with little chance of succeeding.

It is the only way they have to stop reform. One has been presented by the group of the far-right Marine Le Pen (National Regroupment), and another has been formalized by the group of regionalist deputies Freedoms, Independents, Overseas and Territories (Liot, in its acronym in French). They allege that this reform has no democratic legitimacy and that it has been approved by force, without a vote.

If any of these proposals succeed, Macron would have to appoint another prime minister or dissolve the Assembly and call elections. Macron, who was re-elected in the presidential elections almost a year ago, did not achieve a parliamentary majority in the legislative elections that were held two months later. Even then it was glimpsed that this scenario of chaos could occur, since the polls left a very fragmented parliament.

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Marine Le Pen's motion has little chance of succeeding because it does not have the support of other left-wing parties. In fact, it has already presented others, without success. Yes, he has said that he will vote for those of the other groups in order to overthrow the government. Liot's, with only 20 MPs, could get more support. Precisely because it does not lie at either extreme, it could rally support from both.

To be voted in the Assembly it must have the signature of 58 deputies. Liot's has been signed by 91 out of five parliamentary groups. The radical left of La France Insoumise has joined the latter, considering that it has more possibilities of prospering than if they presented their own.

For it to go ahead, it needs the vote of an absolute majority: 289 deputies. To the 88 deputies of Le Pen and the 149 of the left would need to add at least another 30 of the party of The Republicans (it has 60 seats), but these have already said that they will not support any motion and will abstain to "not add more chaos to the chaos". So, at the moment, the accounts do not come out.

This conservative party, Macron's only support in the seats, is once again the key to unblocking Parliament. The president decided to resort to article 49.3 of the Constitution, which allows a law to be passed without a vote, not being sure of having his support to approve the pension law. In principle they were going to do it, but as the time for the vote approached, things were less clear.

The streets, a hive of

For Macron, resorting to this emergency option was the safest in the seats, because he did not take risks, but the most dangerous on the streets. After two months of protests, general strikes and demonstrations, France is in the last hours a hotbed of angry citizens. Protests have multiplied since yesterday throughout France, with violence and riots. There were 300 detainees, barricades were organized and containers and part of the 10,000 tons of garbage accumulated in Paris were burned after a week and a half of strike of garbage dumps.

The ghost of the yellow vests, the protest movement that collapsed France in 2018, reappears. This Friday morning protests and blockades on roads and railways have been reproduced in some cities throughout the country. The Minister of the Interior, Gérarld Darmanin, has criticized that official buildings and headquarters of some Macronist deputies have been attacked. Until now this movement had developed without incident.

The unions have called a new day of strike and protests next Thursday (it is the ninth since January) and the leader of France Insoumise, Jean Luc Melenchon, has encouraged "spontaneous mobilizations" against the reform. This afternoon a new demonstration has been called on the Place de la Concorde in Paris, which has become a symbol of the revolt against the approval of this reform. It is in this place that they guillotined the last Kings of France.

A key reform

Pension reform is the key reform of Emmanuel Macron's tenure, whose popularity has plummeted. Citizens accuse him of being arrogant and of being increasingly distant from the citizenry. This is the second and final term of Macron, who wants to pass as a reformist president, who changed France.

The controversial pension reform is not new, it was part of his election campaign. His intention was to delay the retirement age to 65, but he relented and left it at 64. The president argues that it is necessary to guarantee the system, which already accumulates deficits and French debt is skyrocketing. Yesterday, during the council of ministers in which he made the decision, he warned that the financial and economic risks of not implementing this reform "are too great".

Citizens criticize that it is an unfair law that penalizes the most vulnerable workers. The OECD, the economic think tank that represents developed economies and is based in Paris warned on Friday that this reform is "absolutely necessary" for the country. "The government has to stand firm," said its secretary general: "The population is aging and we have to assume that we have to work longer."

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