Thousands of demonstrators flock to the Place de la Concorde in the heart of the French capital, Paris, in front of Parliament.
And scuffles took place between riot police and demonstrators angry at the French government’s use of an article in the constitution to force reforms related to raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 without a parliamentary vote.
The local French channel BFM broadcast pictures of crowds of demonstrators, including politicians, waving flags and banners.
Politician Jean-Luc Mélenchon, on the far left, told BFM that the law “lacks legality”.
Melenchon called Macron’s decision to invoke the emergency powers an “utter failure”.
And the French government found itself forced to move forward with unpopular reforms related to the retirement age, in order to avoid a difficult vote in the National Assembly.
On Thursday, the government’s plan to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 passed the Senate (the upper house of the French parliament), but ministers were aware that it might not have the support of MPs.
French Prime Minister Elizabeth Born was ridiculed after she invoked Article 49:3 of the constitution, which allows the government to adopt a bill without the need for parliamentary approval.
In front of a noisy session in the National Assembly (the lower chamber of the French Parliament), Borne defended the government’s plan, saying: “We cannot risk the future of our pensions, and these reforms are necessary.”
When Bourne took to the stage, members of the left chanted the French national anthem while holding placards reading “No to 64”. The prime minister was interrupted during her speech by shouts calling for her to resign.
Some believe that imposing the bill is the least bad option for the French government, despite the risk involved – it puts the government in front of the possibility of a vote of confidence, and also puts the country on a hot plate.
Immediately, the far-right National Assembly called for no confidence in the French government. Marine Le Pen – who competed with Macron for the presidency – said the government’s move was an admission of Macron’s personal failure.
Le Pen, the former leader of the National Rally, added: “It is his plan, which he proposed and defended during his election campaign.”
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Reforms related to the retirement age in France sparked demonstrations and strikes that lasted for weeks across the country.
These reforms not only raise the retirement age by two years, but also require an additional year of contributions to the national pension system.
Despite this, Emmanuel Macron was elected to a second term last year on a platform of reforms related to the retirement age in France. Because his ruling coalition does not have a majority in the National Assembly, he needs the support of the Republican Party.
Officials from the Republic on the Move party – which Macron leads – sought to urge members to vote in favor of the bill, despite knowing that a number of these deputies would not vote in favor of the project or that they would abstain from doing so in light of the popular lack of acceptance of the proposed reforms.
On the eve of the vote, President Macron hinted that he might dissolve the National Assembly and call early elections. Perhaps this was a matter of political maneuvering.
Trade unions in France have appealed to parliamentarians to reject the reforms. On the French Confederation of Cadres, François Humrell said, “70 percent of the population and 94 percent of the workers oppose this project.”
The head of the General Confederation of Labor, Felipe Martinez, warned that the demonstrations would continue whether parliament voted in favor of the government or if the latter used the constitution to pass the law without a parliamentary vote.
Clearly, UDF Secretary-General Laurent Berger said there would be more demonstrations.
Article 49:3 of the French Constitution?
Article 49:3 of the French constitution allows the government to pass legislation without it being put to a vote in Parliament – a “loophole” that some observers consider.
By invoking this article of the constitution, French President Macron aims to secure his government’s ability to impose reforms without asking for the support of a majority of parliament members.
The problem with Article 49:3 is that it opens the door for the opposition to call for no confidence in the government, which in turn knows that it will face anger in the streets from demonstrators who see Article 49:3 as undemocratic.
This article was put in place to prevent the turmoil of the post-Fourth Republic in 1958 – a period that saw the rebuilding of the economy and the beginning of independence movements in many French colonies.
