French opposition fails to pass anti-reform bill, urge confidence vote

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
11 Jun 2023 13:22

The French opposition led by Liberties, Independents, Overseas, and Territories (LIOT) is set to urge a confidence vote as early as next week.

LIOT member Charles de Courson at the National Assembly, Thursday, June 8, 2023, in Paris. French lawmakers are debating an opposition bill that aims to return the retirement age to 62 — it went up to 64 with Macron's unpopular reform. Legislators from the centrist opposition group LIOT proposed the text, supported by leftists and the far-right. (AP)

In France, the fight against pension reform is faced with a setback after the pension reform repeal bill's text was emptied from its primary content two hours after the debate in the National Assembly where Liberties Independents Overseas and Territories (LIOT), the French centrist opposition group decided to withdraw it.

It is worth noting that the opposition's bill was supported by both the left and the far right. However, French President Emmanuel Macron's centrist party, which does not have the majority in the National Assembly, allied with several Republicans to push back the repeal bill.

According to France 24, Bertrand Pancher, from the opposition, claimed that "this pension reform has been enacted, but at what cost? At what cost for the more modest of our fellow citizens who will suffer more from the impact of this reform? ... And at what cost for our democracy, our social cohesion?"

As a result of the last parliamentary session on the topic, leftist lawmakers have announced that they will urge for a confidence vote to be held as early as the beginning of next week France 24 reported.

France witnessed a rejection on May 3 by the French Constitutional Council of the lawmakers' request for a second time for a referendum on the controversial pension reform put forward by Macron.

According to a Constitutional Council statement, "the bill submitted for consideration does not represent a reform relating to the nation's social policy." The request was made by 253 left-wing opposition MPs.

In parallel, police in Paris announced a ban on unauthorized protests from 5 pm to 2 am in front of the Constitutional Council's location of the Palais Royal. Despite the ban, the opposition expressed its intention to remain on strike.

Back in March, the French administration used an emergency constitutional procedure to get the controversial pension bill through parliament, in an effort to avert a vote in the National Assembly.

After France's top court approved the bill, Macron defied requests to postpone its implementation by signing it, infuriating the population.

The main provision is an increase in the minimum retirement age in France from 62 to 64. It also extends the number of years that people must contribute for a full pension. Macron contends that the measure is necessary to save the pension system from imploding.

However, the city has imploded with the total cost of damage in Paris since January amounting to almost 1.6 million euros, Vice Mayor of Paris Emmanuel Gregoire told French media last week.