Storm in France: The opposition parties submitted a motion of no confidence in the government today (Friday) following the reform of the president’s pension Emmanuel Macron and the Prime Minister Elizabeth Bourne, who as mentioned raised the retirement age from 62 to 64 without a vote in Parliament. Because of this, at least 300 people were arrested last night after huge protests broke out across the country.
However, the government spokesman and Finance Minister Gabriel Atal both repeated President Emmanuel Macron’s claim that the government did not want to use the law to comply, but said that “if we don’t do the reform today, there will be much more brutal measures we will have to take in the future.”
Also, all the newspapers in France and other European countries reflected on Macron’s problematic situation and wrote on their covers: “Parliamentary nuclear button”, “Declaration of impotence”, and “A severe blow to the leadership”. The “New York Times” also emphasized that “the pension dispute reveals a weakened and more isolated Macron”.
In fact, the French government used the entire legislation known as 49.3 after an article in the French constitution, which allows certain laws to be passed without a vote. The opposing lawmakers had 24 hours to submit a motion of no confidence. If the motion of no confidence is rejected, the law will enter into force. If the motion of no confidence passes, Macron’s prime minister and cabinet will have to resign, and the law will be rejected.