By marking his desire to relaunch the pension reform, did Emmanuel Macron expect to tug as much as its majority? Since the President of the Republic reinstated the flagship promise of his campaign in the debate, doubts and questions have spread out in broad daylight within the presidential coalition on the method envisaged by the executive.
The latest salvo of criticism came from Mr. Macron’s historic partner, François Bayrou’s MoDem. For the centrist party, there is no question that the reform will be adopted by a simple amendment in the social security financing bill (PLFSS), examined in Parliament in the fall. This track does “part of the scenarios”, yet confirmed, Tuesday, September 20, on RTL, the Minister of Labor, Olivier Dussopt. After Mr. Bayrou warned on Sunday against such “forced passage” of the government, the president of the MoDem group in the National Assembly, Jean-Paul Mattei, announced to the press on Tuesday that he “will not be able to accept a reform, large or small, through an amendment”.
The elected MoDem, who belong to the presidential coalition with those of the Renaissance and Horizons parties, will vote “certainly against this amendment”, warned Mr. Mattei. The deputy of Pyrénées-Atlantiques reiterated his position in front of the Prime Minister, Elisabeth Borne, Wednesday morning, during the reception of the presidents of parliamentary groups in Matignon. While the presidential coalition no longer has an absolute majority in the National Assembly, such a revolt of the elected MoDem would represent a first fracture, in this legislature, within the macronist camp.
The crisis is also simmering within the Macronist group
Believing it wouldn’t ” a drama “ if the MoDem deputies oppose this amendment, Mr. Mattei pleads for there “have a consultation phase with a simpler, more readable text” et “an assumed debate in the Hemicycle, given the complexity of the subject”.
For the elected MoDem, the hypothesis of inserting an amendment in a budgetary text to have such a substantial reform adopted would contradict the promises of « dialogue » and of “consultation” displayed by the government at the launch of the National Council for Refoundation. “There is the risk of undermining this new method and no longer being credible”points out the deputy (MoDem) of Haut-Rhin Bruno Fuchs.
Beyond the centrist elected officials, the crisis is also brewing within the Macronist group, some of whose elected officials fear that the method envisaged by the executive will be misunderstood in public opinion. “We will not be forgiven if we embark on an absolutely uncontrolled reform”warns the deputy (Renaissance) of Val-de-Marne Guillaume Gouffier-Cha, fearing that “the French accuse us of recreating conflict, and blocking the country”.
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