Protests, appeals, referendum: What’s next for France’s pension reform?
Issued on: 21/03/2023
Text by: Cyrielle CABOT|Romain HOUEIX
After the French government this week survived two no-confidence votes sparked by the use of special executive power to push pension reforms through parliament, President Emmanuel Macron faces public outrage and constitutional appeals amid swirling rumours of a dissolution of parliament, a change of government and even a referendum on the new retirement measures. FRANCE 24 takes stock of what’s next in French politics.
Following a series of dramatic days in French politics, controversial pension reforms were adopted on Monday the hard way. French Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne rammed through the bill in the National Assembly, the lower house, last week by invoking Article 49.3. The constitutional clause grants the government executive privilege to pass a bill without a parliamentary vote and gives the opposition the opportunity to respond with a no-confidence vote.
On Monday, March 20, the government narrowly survived the no-confidence vote, paving the way for the adoption of the pension reforms, which extends the official retirement age from 62 to 64.
But opponents of French President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reforms are not caving in and they still hope to force a government backdown before the new law is enacted.
The far-left NUPES (New Ecological and Social Popular Union) alliance has vowed to use "all means” at their disposal to defeat the despised pension reform. These include mass protests, holding a public referendum to try to overturn the reforms, and appealing to the Constitutional Council with the aim of invalidating the law on procedural grounds.
On the streets with an eye on the past
The next steps are likely to be played out on the streets of French cities and towns. Spontaneous demonstrations started erupting on Thursday night, after the government invoked Article 49.3. Following Monday’s no-confidence votes, they turned violent, with some protesters erecting barricades, destroying public property and burning garbage that has been piling up in the French capital due to the waste workers strike over pension reforms. Hundreds were arrested after a night of protesters playing cat-and-mouse with riot police across France.
In addition to the spontaneous displays of discontent, trade unions are continuing nationwide strikes, which have gripped France since the start of the year. French unions have called another day of strikes on Thursday, March 23. So far, the eight nationwide strikes called by the unions this year have been peaceful. Following the dramatic political events over the past few days and the unruly spontaneous demonstrations on the streets, there are heightened fears of violence.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, firebrand leader of the far-left France Unbowed (La France Insoumise, LFI) party, called for public protests at a press briefing near the National Assembly. "I hope that this popular discontent is expressed on a mass scale at any place under any circumstances, and that it enables us to obtain the withdrawal of the text," he said.
In the past, mass protests have succeeded into forcing French governments to back down. The opposition regularly cites the example of the 2006 youth employment reforms under then prime minister, Dominique de Villepin. The law covering the New Employment Contract – CPE as it’s known in France – provided a two-year trial period for young people, and it was also adopted by invoking Article 49.3. Following mass protests however, the law was finally suspended and then abolished by a new vote.
The next step: the Constitutional Council
French opposition lawmakers have other tools at their disposal to try to rescind the new pension law. They include an appeal to France’s Constitutional Council. It is charged with ruling on the constitutionality of new laws before they can be implemented.
The defeat of the no-confidence votes on Monday cleared the way for the adoption of new pension legislation, but the law does not yet have the green light for implementation.
A Constitutional Council appeal enables the suspension of the implementation deadline until it examines the new law within a one-month deadline. But under Article 61.3 of the French constitution, the government can ask the council to examine the text on an urgent basis, which reduces the deadline to eight days.
On Monday night, Borne announced that she will refer "directly to the Constitutional Council" for an examination "as soon as possible", according to a statement from the prime minister’s office. The prime minister hopes that "all the points raised during the debates can be examined", the statement added.
Referendum: putting it to the people
Another option is a public referendum, or the referendum d’initiative partagée (RIP).
An RIP request was also submitted to the Constitutional Council on Monday after the government survived the no-confidence votes.
A constitutional weapon at the disposal of French parliamentarians, the RIP requires a complex combination of parliamentary and voter endorsements.
French lawmakers organising a “popular consultation of a bill" require an endorsement of one-fifth of the members of both houses of parliament, or at least 185 of the 925 parliamentarians in the 577-member National Assembly and 348-member Senate.
It must also be "supported by one tenth of the electorate", or 4.87 million people, whose signatures must be collected within nine months.
Around 250 parliamentarians, mainly left-wing lawmakers from both houses, submitted an RIP request to the head of the National Assembly on March 17. The request was transmitted to the Constitutional Council, which must now verify if the conditions for calling a referendum are met.
According to Valérie Rabault, the Socialist vice-president of the National Assembly, the procedure would "block the implementation of this reform for nine months". But "if a RIP is triggered on pensions, it must be before the implementation of the law".
Dissolving the National Assembly, firing the prime minister
"Only one solution: dissolution,” has become a slogan over the past few days among opponents of the pension reform seeking a dissolution of the National Assembly.
The possibility of the president dissolving the National Assembly was a talking point among his party members following the June 2022 parliamentary elections, when Macron’s centrist movement failed to win a majority in the lower house.
Under the French constitution, the president has the right to dissolve the National Assembly, triggering fresh parliamentary elections.
Macron himself privately threatened to dissolve parliament in case of a parliamentary gridlock
It was still a threat last week, before the government was forced to invoke Article 49.3 since Borne was not sure of getting the minimum 287 votes in the National Assembly needed to approve the pension reform.
Following Monday’s tight no-confidence vote, the prospect seems even less likely.
In any case, it’s a risky move. In 1997, then president Jacques Chirac tried the move, which cost him his majority.
If new parliamentary elections are called, it’s also difficult to predict the results. Theoretically, the far-left NUPES coalition should make gains following the mass anti-pension reform mobilisation.
But analysts warn that the most likely winner of a re-election would be Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally, thriving once again on French discontent.
The recent pension drama could cost Prime Minister Borne her job, according to many experts. They note that Macron could change his prime minister in a bid to give a new impetus to the rest of his second – and last – presidential term.
Some analysts say Macron might wait a while before he changes the head of government. They note that the president may not want to be seen as throwing a prime minister, who stuck it out with a difficult reform, under the bus – or at least immediately.
For now, the messaging from the Élysée presidential palace has been resolute. Following a meeting with his political allies on Tuesday, Macron declared he would not be "be rushed into anything", a participant told the AFP. The opposition and the electorate however may not be as patient.
This article has been translated from the original in French.
Issued on: 21/03/2023
Members of the left-wing NUPES coalition hold signs reading "64 is a no" in the French National Assembly on March 20, 2023. © Bertrand Guay, AFP
Text by: Cyrielle CABOT|Romain HOUEIX
After the French government this week survived two no-confidence votes sparked by the use of special executive power to push pension reforms through parliament, President Emmanuel Macron faces public outrage and constitutional appeals amid swirling rumours of a dissolution of parliament, a change of government and even a referendum on the new retirement measures. FRANCE 24 takes stock of what’s next in French politics.
Following a series of dramatic days in French politics, controversial pension reforms were adopted on Monday the hard way. French Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne rammed through the bill in the National Assembly, the lower house, last week by invoking Article 49.3. The constitutional clause grants the government executive privilege to pass a bill without a parliamentary vote and gives the opposition the opportunity to respond with a no-confidence vote.
On Monday, March 20, the government narrowly survived the no-confidence vote, paving the way for the adoption of the pension reforms, which extends the official retirement age from 62 to 64.
But opponents of French President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reforms are not caving in and they still hope to force a government backdown before the new law is enacted.
The far-left NUPES (New Ecological and Social Popular Union) alliance has vowed to use "all means” at their disposal to defeat the despised pension reform. These include mass protests, holding a public referendum to try to overturn the reforms, and appealing to the Constitutional Council with the aim of invalidating the law on procedural grounds.
On the streets with an eye on the past
The next steps are likely to be played out on the streets of French cities and towns. Spontaneous demonstrations started erupting on Thursday night, after the government invoked Article 49.3. Following Monday’s no-confidence votes, they turned violent, with some protesters erecting barricades, destroying public property and burning garbage that has been piling up in the French capital due to the waste workers strike over pension reforms. Hundreds were arrested after a night of protesters playing cat-and-mouse with riot police across France.
In addition to the spontaneous displays of discontent, trade unions are continuing nationwide strikes, which have gripped France since the start of the year. French unions have called another day of strikes on Thursday, March 23. So far, the eight nationwide strikes called by the unions this year have been peaceful. Following the dramatic political events over the past few days and the unruly spontaneous demonstrations on the streets, there are heightened fears of violence.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, firebrand leader of the far-left France Unbowed (La France Insoumise, LFI) party, called for public protests at a press briefing near the National Assembly. "I hope that this popular discontent is expressed on a mass scale at any place under any circumstances, and that it enables us to obtain the withdrawal of the text," he said.
In the past, mass protests have succeeded into forcing French governments to back down. The opposition regularly cites the example of the 2006 youth employment reforms under then prime minister, Dominique de Villepin. The law covering the New Employment Contract – CPE as it’s known in France – provided a two-year trial period for young people, and it was also adopted by invoking Article 49.3. Following mass protests however, the law was finally suspended and then abolished by a new vote.
The next step: the Constitutional Council
French opposition lawmakers have other tools at their disposal to try to rescind the new pension law. They include an appeal to France’s Constitutional Council. It is charged with ruling on the constitutionality of new laws before they can be implemented.
The defeat of the no-confidence votes on Monday cleared the way for the adoption of new pension legislation, but the law does not yet have the green light for implementation.
A Constitutional Council appeal enables the suspension of the implementation deadline until it examines the new law within a one-month deadline. But under Article 61.3 of the French constitution, the government can ask the council to examine the text on an urgent basis, which reduces the deadline to eight days.
On Monday night, Borne announced that she will refer "directly to the Constitutional Council" for an examination "as soon as possible", according to a statement from the prime minister’s office. The prime minister hopes that "all the points raised during the debates can be examined", the statement added.
Referendum: putting it to the people
Another option is a public referendum, or the referendum d’initiative partagée (RIP).
An RIP request was also submitted to the Constitutional Council on Monday after the government survived the no-confidence votes.
A constitutional weapon at the disposal of French parliamentarians, the RIP requires a complex combination of parliamentary and voter endorsements.
French lawmakers organising a “popular consultation of a bill" require an endorsement of one-fifth of the members of both houses of parliament, or at least 185 of the 925 parliamentarians in the 577-member National Assembly and 348-member Senate.
It must also be "supported by one tenth of the electorate", or 4.87 million people, whose signatures must be collected within nine months.
Around 250 parliamentarians, mainly left-wing lawmakers from both houses, submitted an RIP request to the head of the National Assembly on March 17. The request was transmitted to the Constitutional Council, which must now verify if the conditions for calling a referendum are met.
According to Valérie Rabault, the Socialist vice-president of the National Assembly, the procedure would "block the implementation of this reform for nine months". But "if a RIP is triggered on pensions, it must be before the implementation of the law".
Dissolving the National Assembly, firing the prime minister
"Only one solution: dissolution,” has become a slogan over the past few days among opponents of the pension reform seeking a dissolution of the National Assembly.
The possibility of the president dissolving the National Assembly was a talking point among his party members following the June 2022 parliamentary elections, when Macron’s centrist movement failed to win a majority in the lower house.
Under the French constitution, the president has the right to dissolve the National Assembly, triggering fresh parliamentary elections.
Macron himself privately threatened to dissolve parliament in case of a parliamentary gridlock
It was still a threat last week, before the government was forced to invoke Article 49.3 since Borne was not sure of getting the minimum 287 votes in the National Assembly needed to approve the pension reform.
Following Monday’s tight no-confidence vote, the prospect seems even less likely.
In any case, it’s a risky move. In 1997, then president Jacques Chirac tried the move, which cost him his majority.
If new parliamentary elections are called, it’s also difficult to predict the results. Theoretically, the far-left NUPES coalition should make gains following the mass anti-pension reform mobilisation.
But analysts warn that the most likely winner of a re-election would be Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally, thriving once again on French discontent.
The recent pension drama could cost Prime Minister Borne her job, according to many experts. They note that Macron could change his prime minister in a bid to give a new impetus to the rest of his second – and last – presidential term.
Some analysts say Macron might wait a while before he changes the head of government. They note that the president may not want to be seen as throwing a prime minister, who stuck it out with a difficult reform, under the bus – or at least immediately.
For now, the messaging from the Élysée presidential palace has been resolute. Following a meeting with his political allies on Tuesday, Macron declared he would not be "be rushed into anything", a participant told the AFP. The opposition and the electorate however may not be as patient.
This article has been translated from the original in French.
Fahrenheit 49-3: French unions seek to 'bring country to standstill' and send reform into retirement
Issued on: 21/03/2023
06:34
Fiery protests continue across France after President Emmanuel Macron imposed an unpopular pension overhaul without a parliament vote. Macron's government invoked a controversial executive power to force through the bill by decree, which is legal according to the constitution. The move has caused outrage among the political class as well as widespread anger in the streets. Just days after the decree, police banned gatherings around Place de la Concorde, opposite parliament due to continued unrest. For more on the political crisis, FRANCE 24 is joined by Ariane Bogain, Senior Lecturer in French Politics at Northumbria University.
Dozens arrested as French protests continue after government survives no-confidence voteIssued on: 21/03/2023
06:34
Fiery protests continue across France after President Emmanuel Macron imposed an unpopular pension overhaul without a parliament vote. Macron's government invoked a controversial executive power to force through the bill by decree, which is legal according to the constitution. The move has caused outrage among the political class as well as widespread anger in the streets. Just days after the decree, police banned gatherings around Place de la Concorde, opposite parliament due to continued unrest. For more on the political crisis, FRANCE 24 is joined by Ariane Bogain, Senior Lecturer in French Politics at Northumbria University.
Issued on: 21/03/2023 -
01:50
Protesters are surrounded by riot police during a demonstration on the day the National Assembly debates and votes on two motions of no-confidence against the French government, Paris, France, March 20, 2023. © Yves Herman, Reuters
Text by :NEWS WIRES
Dozens of people were arrested across France after sporadic protests broke out hours after President Emmanuel Macron's government narrowly survived a no-confidence motion in parliament on Monday over a deeply unpopular pension reform.
The failure of the vote will be a relief to Macron. Had it succeeded, it would have sunk his government and killed the legislation, which is set to raise the retirement age by two years to 64.
But the anger was felt as protesters took to the streets in cities across the France, opposition lawmakers vowed to force a U-turn and unions prepared for nationwide action on Thursday.
In some of central Paris' most prestigious avenues, firefighters scrambled to put out burning rubbish piles left uncollected for days due to strikes as protesters played cat-and-mouse with police for a fifth night.
What may concern the executive is the large number of young people in the demonstrations.
Television images showed police briefly firing tear gas and charging at protesters in several towns with special motor bike officers seen striking out at protesters.
That prompted the U.N. Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Association, Clément Voule, to say in a Twitter post that police should avoid using excessive force.
The vote on the tripartisan, no-confidence motion was closer than expected. Some 278 members of paliament backed it, just nine short of the 287 needed for it to succeed.
"We are coming to the end of the democratic process of this essential reform for our country," Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said. "It is with humility and seriousness that I took my responsibility and that of my government."
Opponents say this shows Macron's decision to bypass a parliamentary vote on the pension bill — which triggered the no- confidence motions - has already undermined his reformist agenda and weakened his leadership.
All eyes now turn to the president who is due to speak to the nation on Wednesday afternoon, according to France Info radio.
Macron will hold talks later on Tuesday with Borne, the heads of both houses of parliament and lawmakers in his political camp as he seeks to plot an exit to the political crisis.
The key question in coming days will be whether Macron sticks with his existing government as he looks to freshen things up even if the potential paralysis in parliament will make governing more complicated.
"Nothing is resolved and everything in the country continues so that this reform is withdrawn," Mathilde Panot, the parliamentary chief of the far-left La France Insoumise said.
(REUTERS)
France requisitions refinery workers as energy strikes continue
Issued on: 21/03/2023 -
Issued on: 21/03/2023 -
01:43
Several French refineries were still blocked Tuesday from delivering products after two weeks of strikes triggered by controverisal pension reforms, causing production and power supply to be disrupted, while attempts to requisition workers at one refinery sparked scuffles with police.
Le Pen warns France at risk of 'social explosion' over pensions reform
Issued on: 21/03/2023 -
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen says she will not help "extinguish the fire" of fury over pension reforms © Emmanuel DUNAND / AFP
Paris (AFP) – French far-right leader Marine Le Pen warned Tuesday that President Emmanuel Macron was pushing the country to the verge of a "social explosion" with his highly contested pensions reform.
"Consciously, the government is creating all the conditions for a social explosion, and it was foreseeable for months, as if they were looking for that," Le Pen told AFP in an interview.
Speaking at her parliamentary office, Le Pen said she had told Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne last September that she would not try to rein in her supporters if Macron forced the changes through parliament without a vote, as he decided to do last Thursday.
"I'm not going to take part a second time in extinguishing the fire that you have started," she said, referring to the government.
Le Pen said she had already played the role of "firefighter" in 2018-2019 during the so-called "Yellow Vests" revolt against Macron when protesters repeatedly clashed with police, blocked roads and rioted in Paris.
Amid widespread outrage about how the pensions law was pushed through, police arrested nearly 300 people country-wide overnight on Monday-Tuesday as protesters burned bins and vandalised property in cities including Paris, Dijon and Strasbourg.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said Tuesday there had been 1,200 spontaneous demonstrations around the country since last Thursday, while 94 police officers had been injured.
"I don't know what's going to happen. The French people feel angry, they feel humiliated and they feel that the rules of our democracy have been broken," Le Pen told AFP.
- Two slaps -
The 54-year-old -- beaten twice by Macron in presidential elections in 2017 and 2022 -- condemned the president's decision to use article 49.3 of the constitution to force the reform through parliament without a vote last Thursday.
She urged him to organise a referendum -- which he would almost certainly lose -- or new elections for the National Assembly, which opinion polls suggest would result in a slight increase in seats for Le Pen's National Rally.
Ahead of a televised interview on Wednesday, Macron told allies on Tuesday that he intended to resist calls to sack Borne and reshuffle his government, and would not be dissolving parliament or calling a referendum.
"He's choosing, after the slap of the 49.3, to give the French people a second slap by saying 'everything that's happened will have no effect'. No dissolution, no reshuffle, no withdrawal of the law. We're going to continue as if nothing happened," Le Pen said.
She said she expected "nothing" from Macron's interview and questioned his choice of speaking at 1pm (1200 GMT) when most working people affected by the reform would be at their jobs.
Many commentators believe Le Pen stands to benefit politically from the disorder and outrage sparked by Macron's tactics, partly thanks to her long-standing pledge to consult voters via referendums to govern.
Two-thirds of French people are against Macron's pension reform, opinion polls show.
"France is not an ungovernable country. It's a country that has been governed against its wishes," Le Pen argued. "For 40 years, France wanted mass immigration to stop, but for 40 years it's been accelerated."
Ukraine
Asked about her views on the war in Ukraine, Le Pen reiterated her opposition to giving so-called "offensive weapons" to Kyiv, which France and its NATO allies are doing in ever greater quantities.
"It will transform the conflict into a world war. I'm profoundly opposed. I'm profoundly a defender of peace," she said , adding that France's role should be "organising a big peace conference."
"I was in favour of giving defensive material (to Ukraine) -- protective equipment or possibly air defence missiles -- but nothing that would enable an attack against a neighbouring country," she said.
Le Pen's party once took a loan from a Russian bank, and the far-right leader had professed admiration for Russian leader Vladimir Putin before his invasion of Ukraine in February last year.
"If Ukraine wins the war against Russia, I will be delighted, but I'm against entering into a war against Russia," she added.
© 2023 AFP
Issued on: 21/03/2023 -
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen says she will not help "extinguish the fire" of fury over pension reforms © Emmanuel DUNAND / AFPParis (AFP) – French far-right leader Marine Le Pen warned Tuesday that President Emmanuel Macron was pushing the country to the verge of a "social explosion" with his highly contested pensions reform.
"Consciously, the government is creating all the conditions for a social explosion, and it was foreseeable for months, as if they were looking for that," Le Pen told AFP in an interview.
Speaking at her parliamentary office, Le Pen said she had told Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne last September that she would not try to rein in her supporters if Macron forced the changes through parliament without a vote, as he decided to do last Thursday.
"I'm not going to take part a second time in extinguishing the fire that you have started," she said, referring to the government.
Le Pen said she had already played the role of "firefighter" in 2018-2019 during the so-called "Yellow Vests" revolt against Macron when protesters repeatedly clashed with police, blocked roads and rioted in Paris.
Amid widespread outrage about how the pensions law was pushed through, police arrested nearly 300 people country-wide overnight on Monday-Tuesday as protesters burned bins and vandalised property in cities including Paris, Dijon and Strasbourg.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said Tuesday there had been 1,200 spontaneous demonstrations around the country since last Thursday, while 94 police officers had been injured.
"I don't know what's going to happen. The French people feel angry, they feel humiliated and they feel that the rules of our democracy have been broken," Le Pen told AFP.
- Two slaps -
The 54-year-old -- beaten twice by Macron in presidential elections in 2017 and 2022 -- condemned the president's decision to use article 49.3 of the constitution to force the reform through parliament without a vote last Thursday.
She urged him to organise a referendum -- which he would almost certainly lose -- or new elections for the National Assembly, which opinion polls suggest would result in a slight increase in seats for Le Pen's National Rally.
Ahead of a televised interview on Wednesday, Macron told allies on Tuesday that he intended to resist calls to sack Borne and reshuffle his government, and would not be dissolving parliament or calling a referendum.
"He's choosing, after the slap of the 49.3, to give the French people a second slap by saying 'everything that's happened will have no effect'. No dissolution, no reshuffle, no withdrawal of the law. We're going to continue as if nothing happened," Le Pen said.
She said she expected "nothing" from Macron's interview and questioned his choice of speaking at 1pm (1200 GMT) when most working people affected by the reform would be at their jobs.
Many commentators believe Le Pen stands to benefit politically from the disorder and outrage sparked by Macron's tactics, partly thanks to her long-standing pledge to consult voters via referendums to govern.
Two-thirds of French people are against Macron's pension reform, opinion polls show.
"France is not an ungovernable country. It's a country that has been governed against its wishes," Le Pen argued. "For 40 years, France wanted mass immigration to stop, but for 40 years it's been accelerated."
Ukraine
Asked about her views on the war in Ukraine, Le Pen reiterated her opposition to giving so-called "offensive weapons" to Kyiv, which France and its NATO allies are doing in ever greater quantities.
"It will transform the conflict into a world war. I'm profoundly opposed. I'm profoundly a defender of peace," she said , adding that France's role should be "organising a big peace conference."
"I was in favour of giving defensive material (to Ukraine) -- protective equipment or possibly air defence missiles -- but nothing that would enable an attack against a neighbouring country," she said.
Le Pen's party once took a loan from a Russian bank, and the far-right leader had professed admiration for Russian leader Vladimir Putin before his invasion of Ukraine in February last year.
"If Ukraine wins the war against Russia, I will be delighted, but I'm against entering into a war against Russia," she added.
© 2023 AFP
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