Paris (CNSNews.com) – France’s political turmoil shows no sign of letup, with thousands taking to the streets after President Emmanuel Macron’s government narrowly survived a no-confidence vote sparked by widespread anger over unpopular pension reforms.
Had either of two no-confidence motions passed, Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne and her cabinet would have had to resign, in line with the French Constitution. Borne last week angered many when she used a “nuclear option” – article 49.3 of the Constitution – to push through a bill without a vote.
With another large demonstration organized for Thursday, Macron spoke publicly for the first time since the voting, saying in a television interview that the pension reforms were “not a luxury nor a pleasure, but a necessity.”
“Between the polls and the interest of the country, I chose the interest of the country,” he said.
Opposition to the pension reforms, which include a lifting of the retirement age from 62 to 64, effective from 2030, came from parties on the far right and far left, as well as from some centrists.
The more successful of the two no-confidence motions in the National Assembly fell just nine votes short of the 287 needed for it to succeed.
The pension reform bill was then adopted without lawmakers’ approval, although it will still have to be reviewed by the country’s highest constitutional authority, the Constitutional Council, before it becomes law.
Comprising nine members appointed by the president and the heads of the House and Senate, the council will examine whether the law is in line with the Constitution.
Macron’s interview comments were not well received by critics of the government.
“The president has the nerve to say that everything is going well,” said far right National Rally lawmaker Laure Lavallette. “His ego is only matched by the street protests. He is very far from French people.”
“Macron shows again contempt and arrogance,” said the head of the leftist Rebellious France movement, Jean-Louis Mélenchon.
While his government survived, the crisis has left Macron weakened, and commentators across the media predicted that he will struggle to advance his agenda through the remainder of his second term – both at home, and abroad.
With Macron having lost credibility with such a large proportion of the French people, they say, he may face difficulties winning support for foreign policies such as keeping tough sanctions in place against Russia over the war in Ukraine.
“Macron lost domestic and international credibility because of the use of article 49.3,” Rebellious France lawmaker Raquel Garrido said in the House.
“The Fifth Republic is out of breath,” commented another Rebellious France lawmaker Mathilde Panot, referring to the modern French republic established in 1958.
“You have a republican king, a republican monarch who can act alone against an entire people to impose a project,” she said.
When campaigning for a second term, Macron said pension reform was an important priority. With dropping birth rates and people living longer, it was essential to make changes to ensure the pension system was financially viable, he said.
Labor unions say that the change to the retirement age will especially impact people with physically arduous jobs who will find it harder to work longer.
Xavier Bertand, a senior Republican politician who leads a regional council in the north of the country, said while France needs pension reforms, they must be fair for everybody.
Those who start working young will end up having to contribute to the state pension fund for 44 years, he told reporters. “Where is justice?”
After the no-confidence motions failed, strikes erupted in the oil, education, transportation and other sectors. Garbage workers are also on strike, resulting in trash piling up in most cities. Fuel shortages are also predicted.