- The government of French President Emmanuel Macron is threatened with a vote of no confidence on Monday afternoon.
- If the no-confidence vote fails, a bill will be passed that would raise the retirement age for most workers from 62 to 64 by 2030. If the vote is successful, Macron will either appoint a new government with a new prime minister, or dissolve parliament, triggering new elections.
- Ongoing strikes and protests against the law have shaken the country.
French President Emmanuel Macron arrives for the National Roundtable on Diplomacy at the Foreign Ministry in Paris March 16, 2023.
Michel Euler | AFP | Getty Images
French President Emmanuel Macron’s government faces a vote of no confidence on Monday afternoon as angry opposition MPs challenge his decision to force changes to the pension system without a vote by Parliament.
Two no-confidence motions were tabled – one by a coalition of centrist and left-wing parties and a second by the far-right National Rally, which is also expected to back the former.
Analysts told CNBC on Friday that Macron’s opponents were unlikely to get the required 287 out of 577 votes.
But the vote is expected to be close and could result in the resignation of Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, who announced the government’s intention to pass the long-standing plan to raise the retirement age with the special constitutional measure.
If the no-confidence vote fails, the bill will pass and raise the retirement age for most workers from 62 to 64 by 2030.
Much will depend on how many members of the centre-right Les Republicains party break ranks and vote against the government.
The party’s deputy leader was sacked last month for not supporting Macron’s pension reform plan, which passed on March 12 in the upper house of parliament – the Senate. Macron reckoned he didn’t have the votes to get the bill through the lower house The National Assembly.
MPs from the Left hold placards and sing the Marseillaise, France’s national anthem, as French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne delivers a speech on the pension reform bill at the National Assembly in Paris, France March 16, 2023.
Pascal Rossignol | Portal
The constituency office of Les Republicains leader Eric Ciotti was stoned at the weekend, Le Monde reported.
If the government loses the vote, Macron will appoint a government with a new prime minister or dissolve parliament, triggering snap elections. This means that he could be a “domestic lame duck” for the rest of his term until 2027, said Berenberg economist Holger Schmieding.
In any case, he will have expended a significant amount of political capital to push through his changes, which the government says are necessary to secure the costly pension system for the future.
A poll released Monday by Elabe found that 68% of respondents wanted the no-confidence vote to pass, 68% thought Borne should resign if the motion fails, and 69% believed the use of the constitutional measure, called Article 49 -3, was a rejection of democracy.
Opponents say the changes will negatively impact women, government workers and those on lower wages. They also argue that the government is prioritizing high-paying companies and people over average workers.
Workers have been waging industrial action since the beginning of the year, with industrial action intensifying in March.
Refineries across the country have been on strike for 13 days, while industrial action by garbage collectors has caused heaps of rubbish to pile up around Paris.
Transport workers and teachers have also gone on strike. Unions have promised to continue the measures and called widespread strikes for Thursday.
Demonstrators gathered in Place de la Concorde during a March 16 demonstration.
Sopa Pictures | Light Rocket | Getty Images
Hundreds of people were arrested as thousands demonstrated in protest across the country, Portal reported.
The parliamentary session to conduct the no-confidence votes is scheduled to begin at 4:00 p.m. CET.