Gérard Larcher intends to seize the opportunity of the debate on pensions to show that the political climate is much more peaceful in the Senate than in the National Assembly. The upper house must go “to the end” of the examination of the pension reform bill, its president thus pleaded on Wednesday, claiming to want to do the “maximum” in his power to achieve this, on the eve of the arrival text in the hemicycle.
While the Assembly only managed to go through two of the 20 articles of the bill in the time allotted to it, “the Senate owes citizens and social partners a debate on the entire text”, underlines Gérard Larcher in an interview with Figaro.
In the Senate, “we do not have La France insoumise”
At the Palais-Bourbon, the discussions had bogged down due to the thousands of amendments signed in particular by the left-wing opposition. The tone should therefore be different in the Senate, dominated by the right, and where “we do not have La France insoumise”, argues Gérard Larcher.
“Senatorial tradition leads us to a debate on the merits, to respect for differences and to a certain conception of representative democracy”, insists the President of the Senate, highlighting “the words” of the presidents of the Communist and Socialist groups Éliane Assassi (CRCE) and Patrick Kanner (PS) who “seem to him rather to be part of this tradition”. “They will express their disagreements, but will do so with respect for the institution”.
Gérard Larcher also calls not to “mislead” the right of amendment, while 4,718 were tabled before the start of the 110 hours of discussion planned. “If there were to be an obstruction, we will simply use constitutional means and those of our regulations. I will do the maximum that a president of the assembly can do to go to the end of this debate, ”he warns.
For Larcher, the government must not “back down”
Observing that the reform proposed by the government, which postpones the retirement age from 62 to 64, is the one “voted four years ago in the Senate”, he raises two points of attention: “the situation of seniors” and “women’s careers” which “are important subjects”. “The government has an objective, the senatorial majority, demands. You have to bring all of this together. (…) The text that will come out will not be that of the government but that of the Senate, ”he warns again.
Faced with the great day of trade union action on March 7, he also urges the executive to “constancy” and “courage”. “I don’t see how the government could back down,” he adds.