A day following the French government decided to push through the pension reform without a parliamentary vote, angry protests broke out once more on Friday. In the morning, demonstrators blocked the Paris city highway for regarding half an hour. The CGT union announced the closure of a refinery in Normandy. So far, the refineries have been partially blocked, but have continued to produce.
The number of arrests following riots in several cities the night before rose to 310. On Thursday evening, the police in Paris broke up a demonstration with water cannons and tear gas. There were also demonstrations and, in some cases, riots in other cities. In Paris, the garbage collectors’ strike is also leading to growing heaps of garbage and a stench in the city.
The opposition has until Friday followingnoon to table no-confidence motions, which are expected to be voted on Monday. If an absolute majority of MPs vote in favour, the government will have to resign. Then President Emmanuel Macron might appoint a new prime minister or call new elections.
If there is no absolute majority for a motion of no-confidence, the pension reform will be finally passed. This is possible with the help of Article 49.3 of the Constitution. It allows the government to pass a law without a vote in limited cases if it subsequently survives a vote of confidence.
So far, the right-wing populist Rassemblement National party and a liberal splinter party have announced no-confidence motions. The outcome depends largely on whether conservative Republicans vote with the government. Party leader Eric Ciotti has already announced this, but there are dissenting voices in his party.
Meanwhile, members of the government tried to limit the damage in interviews. Labor Minister Olivier Dussopt emphasized that the application of the constitutional article means “no failure”. “There is a draft law and if the motions of no confidence are rejected, then it will come into force.”
Government spokesman Olivier Véran was confident that the government would not be overthrown. “We are called upon to continue to govern,” he stressed.
The pension reform provides for a gradual increase in the retirement age from 62 to 64 years. In addition, the minimum pension for full contribution periods is to be raised to EUR 1,200 and the employment of senior citizens is to be promoted.
