The French government narrowly survived a no-confidence vote on Monday. Now President Emmanuel Macron wants to address the population.
Two days after the controversial pension reform was approved in France, President Emmanuel Macron wants to address the population on Wednesday. The Élysée Palace announced that he would be interviewed live on the midday news for half an hour. Despite ongoing protests against pension reform, Macron does not want to change the government team or dissolve parliament, according to sources close to him.
On Tuesday, Macron held discussions with Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, several ministers and members of the governing coalition. The government narrowly survived a no-confidence vote on Monday, which was enough to finally pass the pension reform. This action, based on Article 49.3 of the Constitution, further fueled the ire of many opponents of pension reform.
Again protests in French cities
Meanwhile, violent protests against the pension reform that had been decided on broke out again in several French cities. According to media reports, 46 people were arrested in Paris on Wednesday night after police fired at them with projectiles and protesters set rubbish bins and scooters on fire. Police used tear gas against some of the approximately 3,500 demonstrators.
According to “Le ParisienParisien”, there were also protests with thousands of participants in Lille, Grenoble, Rennes, Nantes and Le Mans. On Monday night, nearly 300 people were arrested during violent protests across France.
Retirement age rises to 64
To close the looming pension fund gap, France’s central government under Macron wants to gradually raise the retirement age from 62 to 64. In fact, on average, retirement begins after the official age of 62. Those who didn’t pay long enough to get a full pension work longer. At age 67 there is then a pension without any deductions, regardless of the period of payment – the government wants to keep it, even if the number of years of payment required for a full pension increases more rapidly. He wants to increase the minimum monthly pension to around 1,200 euros.
(APA/AFP)