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French President Emmanuel Macron promulgated the controversial law on pension reform on Friday night, after validation of essential parts of the text by the Constitutional Council. This event is provoking the most diverse reactions on the part of political parties and trade union movements.
Few expected such swift action by the government. It was at 3:28 pm from Friday to Saturday that the French President, Emmanuel Macron, decided to enact the controversial law on pension reform, which advocates changing the minimum age for retirement from 62 to 64 years of age, promised in campaign.
Despite having fifteen days to promulgate it, the representative decided not to wait and acted hours after the validation of theand essential parts of the text by the Constitutional Council. Thus, the text should enter into force on 1 September.
On Friday night, the Prime Minister, Elisabeth Borne, had defended the appeasement between the government and the opposition by declaring that there was “no winner, no loser”, and that the government wanted to “continue consultation with the social partners “.
However, the nocturnal enactment complicated the situation and left the government in a delicate position.
Trade union movements and political parties react to the enactment
Since then, reactions by the population, opposition parties and trade unions have continued to multiply, with numerous demonstrations erupting during the early hours of the morning in the main cities of the country.
O inter-union group announced that it intended to continue its mobilization and that it refused the meeting proposed by Emmanuel Macron before May 1, the date of Labor Day.
While the parties on the left reacted promptly to the event, calling for the demonstrations to continue, on the other hand, some of the main leaders of the right limited themselves to reacting to the Constitutional Council’s decision.
Jean-Luc Melenchonone of the main leaders of the left, says that Macron “wanted to intimidate the whole of France overnight”, in a message published on Twitter.
First Secretary of the Socialist Party (PS), Olivier Faurebelieves that this express enactment was deliberate and meant to have a certain impact, and called for the demonstrations to continue.
Fabien Rousselboss of the French Communist Party, did not mince words and called the government “thieves”, calling the population to the streets for the 1st of May.
Marine Tondelier, head of the green party EELV (Europa Ecologia – Os Verdes), reacted energetically, categorizing the act as a “provocation”, accusing the president of wanting to fracture the country.
Marine Le Penkey figure of radical right, feels that the “political fate of pension reform is not sealed”. The Party PresidentThe Republicans”, Eric Ciottiappealed to all political forces to accept the decision of the Constitutional Council.
Franck Riester, Minister Delegate in charge of relations between the government and Parliament, contradicted the opposition’s accusations and said that enactments are usually made soon after the Constitutional Council’s decision.
Julien Troccaz, leader of the “Sud-Rail” trade union movement, does not seem convinced, and estimates that this decision could bury Emmanuel Macron’s mandate. Sophie Binet, number one of the CGT, also believes that “the president cannot govern the country until he withdraws this reform”.
Macron is expected to speak early next week
According to AFP, which claims to have consulted several sources within the executive, the head of state is due to pronounce early next week. He will meet majority executives on Monday at the Élysée Palace.