This content was published on March 19, 2023 – 21:49 March 19, 2023 – 21:49 minutes
(Updates with strikes scheduled for this Monday)
Paris, 19 March (EFE).- France’s President Emmanuel Macron has expressed his intention to “go all out” with the pension reform that raises the minimum retirement age from 62 to 64, despite the tense social and political climate. based on his consent without a vote at the meeting.
French Presidency sources sent the news to the media on the eve of the two no-confidence motions the Macron-appointed government faces from 15:00 GMT, whose approval will depend on the vote of the 61 MPs from the split Conservative party.
“After months of political and social negotiations, with more than 170 hours of debate, ending with a text agreed between Senate and Parliament, the President of the Republic expressed to the leaders of both chambers his wish that the pension text be adopted by the end of their democratic journey under Respect for all,” the note said.
The reform was approved last Thursday, 16th, through the application of Article 49.3, a legal source that allows a bill to be passed without a vote in the Assembly, and the Executive has taken action because, due to the Conservative split, it cannot Los Republicanos (LR) had achieved an absolute majority.
The new pension plan, which Macron believes is essential to achieving balance in public finances, will come into effect if the government survives the two motions and possible appeals to the Constitutional Council.
The head of state also expressed concern at complaints from dozens of government MPs who claim they have been verbally and physically threatened over their support of the unpopular reform.
Macron called for “all means” to be used to protect the threatened MPs.
For the fourth consecutive night, some cities in France registered anti-government demonstrations that went unreported to the authorities. The one in Paris, which took place without major incident in the Forum Les Halles area, resulted in at least six arrests, while the one in Marseille, which prompted riot police charges, resulted in a dozen.
STRIKES ON TRAINS AND AIRPORTS
As France endured its fourth night of spontaneous and undeclared demonstrations in front of the agency – during which hundreds of people were arrested over altercations and burning street furniture – the partial strikes continue.
30% of flights from Orly-Paris airport have been canceled for this Monday and 20% of flights from Marseille airport due to strikes by air traffic controllers.
Trains are also hit. 4 of the 5 high-speed lines circulate; two-thirds of the regional TERs; and 60% of Inter Cities. In Paris, too, the S-Bahn does not run normally.
Several refineries remain blocked, including Le Havre, the largest in the country. Although no consolidated data is available yet, several petrol stations in the Lyon and Marseille region are already suffering from fuel shortages.
For their part, the effects of the closures on garbage collection in Paris are still being felt. Despite the fact that the government has enforced the return of some workers for public health reasons, thousands of tons of rubbish still accumulate on the sidewalks.
The Paris City Council, which supports the strike and is not cooperating with the government, estimates that the amount of waste has stabilized at 10,000 tons. EFE
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