Two no-confidence votes against the government of French President Emmanuel Macron were rejected in the country’s parliament, paving the way for the implementation of hugely unpopular pension reforms.
A no-confidence vote – or no-confidence motion – is a formal process in which members of parliament vote on whether or not they want the current leader to remain in office. The first motion received 278 votes, just nine short of the 287 needed to pass.
It was introduced by the small parliamentary group “LIOT”, which represents several small parties, and was considered the more likely of the two to threaten the government.
The second motion – tabled last week by the far-right National Rally party – drew less support, with just 94 lawmakers voting in favor.
The government unleashed special constitutional powers on Thursday to pass controversial legislation that raises the retirement age from 62 to 64 for most workers, sparking a wave of protests and strikes across the country.
However, while the government has survived the motions against it, the anger over the reforms shows no sign of abating.
popular dissatisfaction
With one of the lowest retirement ages in the industrialized world, France also spends more than most other countries on pensions – nearly 14% of economic output, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation.
The government argues that the current system – relying on the working population to pay for a growing age group of retirees – is no longer fit for purpose.
However, the protests that gripped the country over the past week were aimed not just at pension reform, but at the constitutional power used to enforce it.
Unable to gain majority support for the bill in parliament, Macron resorted to using Article 49.3, which allowed his government to pass the bill in the National Assembly without a vote.
The measure was widely condemned by protesters and lawmakers as undemocratic.
“We are facing a president who uses a permanent coup d’état,” Olivier Faure, leader of the French Socialist Party, told local media on Thursday.
In total, 169 people were detained during protests across France on Saturday (18), according to the Ministry of the Interior.
Unions have called strikes and protests across the country for next Thursday (23), hoping to bring the country to a standstill.
Source: CNN Brasil
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