French President Macron pushed through the pension reform without letting the National Assembly vote. Today there could be a showdown in parliament – in a last attempt to stop the reform after all.
Charles de Couson is not an extremist. The parliamentarian of the centrist faction LIOT is the longest-serving member of parliament and a very level-headed man. But the government is not on good terms with him. Because de Courson intends to stop the pension reform after all.
“What I’m asking is that we go through with the parliamentary process and let the National Assembly vote for or against mandatory retirement at 64,” he says.
change request should bring about a vote
Because that’s exactly what the government prevented. With the application of various constitutional articles – the 49.3. or the 47.1. – managed to shorten the pension reform legislative process in order to create pressure and avoid a vote on the text. De Courson is outraged: “We now have a law that the President signed, but which was never voted on in the National Assembly. That’s incredible!”
In order to bring about a vote, de Courson himself had introduced a bill. Article 1 of this draft provided for withdrawing the increase in the retirement age. However, this article was overturned with the majority of government votes in the responsible committee. That is why de Courson’s LIOT group is making a new, one last attempt today: it will retable its Article 1 in the form of an amendment.
President of Parliament wants to reject the application
But the Speaker of Parliament, Yael Braun Pivet, has already declared: “No matter what happens, there will be no abolition of pension reform.” Because Braun Pivet will reject the amendment. With the help of Article 40, which states: Applications that burden the state budget without creating sufficient financial equalization are inadmissible.
Constitutional lawyer Gilles Toulemonde finds this maneuver dangerous, even if it is legally permissible, he says. “I’m afraid that if she does that, the majority of opposition politicians will leave parliament.” The democratic crisis in France will intensify. “Many people will turn their backs on the polls and stop voting. More than they already do.”
Standstill and more protests?
Macron’s government is creating a dangerous precedent here, says constitutional lawyer Toulemonde. Because it exhausts the possibilities of the constitution in a way that contradicts today’s demand for democratic participation. “There is a risk that in 2027 a party will come to power that has not exactly internalized the democratic DNA and will in turn use these constitutional articles for undemocratic goals.”
If the government rejects the motion of the LIOT parliamentary group, as announced, there could be another motion of no confidence – a last gasp of the opposition, so to speak. The government would in all likelihood survive it. But she risks deadlock and more protests for the rest of her term. The bitter conclusion in the eyes of constitutional lawyer Gilles Toulemonde: French democracy has suffered lasting damage.