Raising of shields in the oppositions. This Thursday, the Council of Ministers authorized the government to engage its responsibility before the National Assembly to have the pension reform adopted without a vote, after Emmanuel Macron’s choice to use the controversial tool of 49.3, a-t -we learned from the Elysée. “The Prime Minister asked the president to be able to engage the responsibility of his government on the text resulting from the joint joint commission” which brought together deputies and senators on Wednesday, the Presidency of the Republic told AFP. A decision that quickly made opponents react.
Deputies of the majority “in shock” of 49.3
A “mess”, a “shock” or even a “crash”: several majority deputies say they are “stunned” by the government’s recourse to 49.3 on pension reform, in particular to the MoDem, who “pleaded to the end ” for a vote. Among the centrists, Erwan Balanant (MoDem) came out “in shock” from the hemicycle, he told AFP. “It was a mistake to make 49.3 on a text like that given the state of our democracy. We had to go to the vote, even if it meant losing. I am in shock”, reacted this elected representative from Finistère, evoking a situation “approaching the crisis of the regime”.
The president of the MoDem group Jean-Paul Mattei “was extremely courageous, he said at each meeting that we had to go to the vote”, according to Erwan Balanant. It was also what the bosses of the allied groups Renaissance and Horizons, Aurore Bergé and Laurent Marcangeli, wore. In a press release, the entire group of 51 MoDem deputies thus emphasizes having pleaded “to the end in favor of a vote”. He “nevertheless assures” the executive of “his support” after the “difficult decision” to use the constitutional weapon. This is “the only way to guarantee the adoption of a major and essential text for the safeguard of our pay-as-you-go pension system”.
49.3, which allows a text to be adopted without a vote, “it’s a mess” and an “admission of weakness”, also believes Richard Ramos (MoDem), the only one who was likely to abstain in his group. In favor of the bill, Philippe Vigier (MoDem) deplores a “huge mess”, while attacking the right: “many LRs” wanted to vote against the reform “only in opposition to Emmanuel Macron”.
Within the Horizons group, André Villiers, one of the most reluctant to reform, believes that “it’s a delayed mess” and that “in public opinion things will remain very crystallized”. At Renaissance too, some elected Macronists do not hide their incomprehension. At a Renaissance meeting shortly before the formalization of 49.3, the deputies were “stunned”, according to a participant. They anticipate “the possible sequence behind”. For a leader of the majority group, on condition of anonymity, “it’s a crash. It needs a dissolution”.
The issue of censure motions stirs up LR divisions
The divisions were exacerbated Thursday among the Republicans, about the motions of censure following the use of 49.3 by the government on the pension reform. Eric Ciotti has indicated that his party will not vote “none”, but several deputies are considering supporting them. “We will not join any motion of censure and will not vote for any motion of censure,” said the party boss, saying he did not want to “add chaos to chaos”.
“The crisis situation in the country would not bear a fatal blow to our democracy and our institutions today: we will never participate in a coalition of extremes whose sole purpose is to carry the revolution”, justified Eric Ciotti. The deputy of the Alpes-Maritimes indicated that the position was retained following a vote of the LR deputies. “All the members who were present agreed with the very majority decision,” he said.
But deputy Aurélien Pradié, opposed to the reform and supporter of the tabling of a motion of censure specific to LR, estimated in the process that “each deputy remains completely free to go and participate in another motion of censure”. The deputy for Lot explained that he did not rule out “any hypothesis by definition”, in particular about a possible motion carried by the group of independents LIOT. Similarly, Pierre-Henri Dumont indicated that he did not want to be associated with a motion “signed by members of the RN or LFI”, but a LIOT motion “is negotiated, discussed”, he argued. Moselle deputy Fabien Di Filippo said that “personally, (he) will vote for censorship”.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon observes a “collapse of the minority”
According to him, after this “spectacular failure”, the social movement has “a good chance of having the last word”. “We are in front of a text not adopted in the forms of a parliamentary democracy”, insisted the rebellious leader, while the demonstration gained momentum.
Laurent Berger announces “new mobilizations”
“There will be new mobilizations” against the pension reform, CFDT secretary general Laurent Berger told AFP on Thursday, denouncing a “democratic vice” after the government’s decision to activate the constitutional weapon of the 49.3 to have his reform adopted.
“Obviously there will be new mobilizations, because the protest is extremely strong, we already have a lot of reactions from the union teams. We will decide together in an inter-union”, which will be held Thursday evening at the headquarters of the CGT , he added.
By resorting to 49.3 the government demonstrates that it does not have a majority to approve the two-year postponement of the legal retirement age. The political compromise failed. It is the workers who must be listened to when we claim to act on their work.
— Laurent Berger (@CfdtBerger) March 16, 2023
Marine Le Pen announces that she will table a motion of censure
The unsuccessful three-time presidential candidate felt that the use of 49.3 “is a statement of total failure for Emmanuel Macron”, “a personal failure” by the President of the Republic, as much as an “extraordinary admission of weakness” by the government. According to her, Elisabeth Borne “cannot stay” in Matignon. “She must leave. Staying would be considered an additional slap in the face of the French people,” added Marine Le Pen, considering that the situation was that of a “political crisis”.
Fabien Roussel wants to set up a referendum of shared initiative
The deputy of the French Communist Party (PCF) Fabien Roussel quickly reacted to the triggering of 49.3 by the Prime Minister in order to avoid a vote on the pension reform by the National Assembly. For Fabien Roussel, “the government has chosen 49.3 and decided to make this reform even more illegitimate”. To oppose this, the leader of the PCF wishes to engage in a “great popular battle with the inter-union” to be able to set up a referendum of shared initiative (RIP), he declared on Twitter.
The government chooses 49-3 and decides to make this reform even more illegitimate!
We have a tool: the REFERENDUM, the RIP.
Let’s engage in a great popular battle with the inter-union which has shown great responsibility
— Fabien Roussel (@Fabien_Roussel) March 16, 2023
The president’s whims
The leader of the Socialist Party Olivier Faure denounced Thursday “the whims” of the president, after the decision of Emmanuel Macron to use article 49.3 to pass his very controversial pension reform without a vote in the Assembly. “The Elysée is not a park to shelter the president’s whims,” tweeted Olivier Faure. “When a president has no majority in the country, no majority in the National Assembly, he must withdraw his project,” he added. The coordinator of La France insoumise Manuel Bompard for his part denounced “the permanent coup de force”. “The people are against them. Let’s get them out,” he pleaded.
When a president has no majority in the country, no majority in the National Assembly, he must withdraw his project. The Elysée is not a park to shelter the whims of the president. #64yrsIsNo
— Olivier Faure (@faureolivier) March 16, 2023
For the leader of the Communists Fabien Roussel, “this reform will be illegitimate”, he told the press. “We have one tool left, the Shared Initiative Referendum (use of the initiative of parliamentarians and citizens, editor’s note). In this case, we have a great campaign ahead of us and during this time the reform will be suspended. The parliament will have been flouted, humiliated until the end”. “We are not going to stop there”, abounded on Twitter the national secretary of EELV Marine Tondelier, stressing that “in the street, 49.3, it does not exist”. “Emmanuel Macron’s choice to resort to 49.3 is fraught with meaning and illustrates his contempt, his failure and his brutality,” she added.
LFI deputies call for the resignation of Elisabeth Borne
Marseillaise sung and signs “64 years old, it’s no” brandished by left-wing deputies: the session devoted to pension reform started Thursday in the heckling at the National Assembly, on the arrival ofElisabeth Borne to trigger 49.3.
After an initial false start due to a delay by the Prime Minister, the session was briefly interrupted. Elisabeth Borne ended up speaking at the podium, in front of LFI deputies calling for her “resignation”.