© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: People attend a rally to protest the French government’s use of article 49.3, a special provision in the French Constitution, to push a pension reform bill through Parliament without approval. vote of legislators, in Nantes, Fran
2/2
By Elizabeth Pineau and Benoit Van Overstraeten
PARIS (Reuters) – President Emmanuel Macron’s government narrowly survived a motion of no-confidence in Parliament on Monday, after bypassing the lower house to push for a profound change to the political system. pension system.
Some 278 MPs voted in favor of a three-party, no-confidence motion proposed by a moderate party and others, just nine short of the 287 MPs needed for it to succeed.
The second motion of no confidence, filed by the far-right National Rally Party (RN), had no chance of passing later on Monday as other opposition parties said they would not vote on the motion. that recommendation.
A successful no-confidence vote would sink the government and kill the legislation that was designed to raise the retirement age by two years to 64.
The result will be a relief for Macron, but he still faces significant headwinds.
First, the centrist president’s failure to find enough support in parliament to put a vote on pension reform undermined his reform agenda and undermined his leadership.
Barclays (LON:) the government will remain in place, “although it will be significantly weakened, while social protests against reform are likely to continue for several weeks, which will continue for several weeks,” analysts said. This could negatively affect the French economy.”
Unions and protesters, angered by the reform and the fact that pension reform was passed without a vote, said they would continue to strike and protest.
“We’ll see each other again on Thursday,” Helene Mayans, of the left-wing CGT coalition, said at a rally in Paris.
Violent unrest has erupted across the country and unions have promised to step up strike action, leaving Macron facing the deadliest challenge to his administration since the uprising. rise of “Yellow vest” more than 4 years ago.
The ninth day of strikes and protests across the country is scheduled for Thursday.
Opposition parties will also challenge the bill in the Constitutional Council, which can decide to repeal some or all of the bill – if it deems it unconstitutional.
