untitled design

“Zero hour” for Macron – France is in a deep political crisis

The has been plunged into a political crisis France after his decision Emmanuel Macron to bypass the French parliament and to impose pension reform by presidential decree which increases the retirement age from 62 to 64 years.

The bill had already caused reactions for its essence, but these were magnified by the strategy followed by the French President unable to secure the necessary parliamentary support for the approval of the insurance reform.

The unions have declared “intransigence” and the demonstrations are reminiscent of the days of the “Yellow Vests”, with violent incidents and brutal repression.

On Monday, the “battle” for the French President moves back into parliament, where two impeachment motions have been tabled and will be debated. If one of these proposals is approved then, in addition to Prime Minister Elizabeth Bourne’s government, the pension reform will also be overturned, as the presidential decree will be cancelled.

The government has managed to survive similar votes in the past, as although it has a relative and not an absolute majority, the parties of the Left refused any partnership with the Far Right.

However, in the current parliamentary battle, things are somewhat different. One of the two no-confidence motions was submitted by a group of independent MPs and they have stated that it will be supported by both Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s Left and Marine Le Pen’s extreme right, which together – together with some independents – have 250 MPs.

In order for a motion of censure against the French government to be approved, it must be approved by an absolute majority of the members of the National Assembly, i.e. 278 deputies. The final outcome will depend on the stance of lawmakers from the center-right Republican Party, which has 60 seats.

The party’s leadership has opposed the motion of censure, but MPs have strongly criticized the French President for the parliamentary “bypass” and it is possible to diverge from the central line. In any case, even if the government survives the motion of no confidence, the political blow to Emmanuel Macron is estimated to be great. “He must come out and talk!” many are shouting, while his popularity has tragically fallen to just 28% in today’s IFOP poll.

Political analysts report that Macron will seek to turn the page quickly, with government officials already preparing more pro-social reforms. However, it is estimated that the French President can now do little – through parliament – to calm the anger in the streets.

It cannot be ruled out that – regardless of the outcome of the no-confidence motion – it could remove Prime Minister Elizabeth Bourne, who failed to create the right parliamentary environment to pass the pension reform.

Most polls show her public opinion of France to be clearly against the reform of the pension system and in particular against raising the retirement age to 64 years. In addition, he strongly and personally criticizes Emmanuel Macron for his decision to bypass the French parliament.

France is preparing for another general strike next Thursday, while until then there will be strike mobilizations in various sectors of the economy, starting with transport and energy. “Let’s destroy what destroys us,” was one of the slogans the protesters wrote on walls.

The spontaneous angry demonstration on Thursday afternoon, shortly after Macron’s decision to bypass parliament, took place in Place de la Concorde of Paris opposite the National Assembly. Since then every day thousands of people gather in the same square. “The symbolism is powerful: It was where the guillotine was set up for Louis XVI 230 years ago”, comments Reuters in its article.

Source: News Beast

You may also like

Get the latest

Stay Informed: Get the Latest Updates and Insights

 

Most popular