The debate on Emmanuel Macron’s flagship reform ended as planned on Friday at midnight sharp in the Assembly, without a vote and in confusion. The Assembly then largely rejected a motion of no confidence tabled by the National Rally (RN) against the government.
Unsurprisingly, with only 89 votes collected – the votes of all RN deputies, plus that of Nicolas Dupont-Aignan – the RN motion defended by Marine Le Pen on the sidelines of the pension reform project was rejected.
“It is clear that no vote will be possible on article 7” (increasing the retirement age from 62 to 64), “and even less on the bill as a whole”, declared Marine Le Pen on Wednesday, during a press conference announcing the surprise filing of this motion of censure. A sort of “parliamentary referendum”, she boasted, which should “allow those who sincerely oppose the project to do so”.
Overnight, she denounced a “denial of democracy” by the government which “hijacked our Constitution” by choosing an accelerated review procedure for this pension reform. “You lied about long careers, about hardship”; “You lied about the 1,200 euros minimum pension”, also launched the president of the RN group.
Who also described as “inept political grub” the announced refusal of the left oppositions to vote for his motion of censure, and denounced the “assumed blocking of the Nupes”.
“Opportunism of every moment”
Elisabeth Borne immediately denounced the “two populisms” of the National Rally and La France insoumise, in response to Marine Le Pen’s motion of censure.
“The motion of censure was tabled by a group whose silence has been deafening throughout the debates, and whose votes say nothing but the opportunism of each moment”, launched the Prime Minister at the RN address.
The Prime Minister attacked Marine Le Pen and her “alibi project” of pension counter-reform. “You don’t bother to include it in your motion of censure. No doubt because the emptiness of such proposals appears even more clearly in writing, ”she said.
The Prime Minister also harshly attacked La France insoumise, of which almost all of the deputies were no longer present in the hemicycle. She denounced “fifteen days of permanent agitation, of the fierce will of the deputies of La France Insoumise to prevent the examination of the text”, she added.
“When the Nupes howled, when the deputies of the National Rally were hiding, the majority was working! “Launched Élisabeth Borne, warmly applauded by the groups of the majority.
The text is now expected in the Senate, on February 28 in committee, then on March 2 in the hemicycle.