Le Pen declares vote of no confidence in French gov't

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The French far-right National Rally, led by presidential candidate Marine Le Pen, filed a motion of no confidence in France's government in protest against its highly controversial pension reform, the party's leader said on Wednesday.

"[A no-confidence vote] is a kind of parliamentary referendum. Those who are against the reform can support it [a vote of no confidence] to express the disagreement of tens of thousands of French people," Le Pen told French broadcaster BFMTV on Wednesday.

The left coalition New Ecological and Social People's Union (Nupes) has put forward over 13,000 amendments to the pension reform in order to block the review of the draft law, Le Pen added.

"It will take 1,150 hours to consider [the amendments], while we only have 28 left," the party leader underlined, highlighting that there was no time left for the consideration of the seventh article of the draft law, which stipulates raising the age of retirement to 64.

The no-confidence vote will take place on February 17, the last day of draft law review in the lower house of the French parliament.

French lawmakers began in early February debating a pension bill that would raise the minimum retirement age from 62 to 64. President Macron calls the reform "vital" for the long-term viability of the pension system, noting that workers in neighboring countries retire years later.

Raising the retirement age by two years and extending the pay-in period would result in an additional 17.7 billion Euros ($19.18 billion) in annual pension contributions, according to Labor Ministry estimates, allowing the system to break even by 2027.

Unions argue that there are other options, such as taxing the super-rich or requiring employers or well-off retirees to contribute more.

Despite polls consistently showing growing opposition to the reform and Macron's own popularity dwindling, the French president insisted on keeping a key campaign pledge he made when he swept to power in 2017 and before his reelection in April 2022.

Macron's plans prompted thousands of demonstrators to take to the streets numerous times to protest against the French leader, and the Police attacked them with tear gas and rubber bullets.

Nearly a million protestors marched on Sunday across Paris, Nice, Marseille, Toulouse, Nantes, and other cities, reported the Interior Ministry. Local authorities estimate that over 2.5 million were on the street. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin wrote on Twitter on Friday that 10,000 police officers would be deployed to ensure security during the protests, including 4,500 in Paris. 

As angry protesters set cars and trash bins on fire on a central Parisian street, police charged the crowd and dispersed them with tear gas.

The weekend demonstrations drew young people and others opposed to the pension proposals who were unable to attend the previous three days of action, which were all held on weekdays.

Some 2.8 million people protested nationwide in France on January 31, during a day of rallies and strikes against pension reform backed by Macron, the leading CGT union said, while the first round of demonstrations was held on January 19.

Just one day after the one-million-person march against the government's pension reform, Macron announced a proposal to allocate a huge chunk of public expenditures to boost the military in 2024-2030.

Unions have warned that if the government does not meet their demands, they will "put France on hold" in the coming weeks. Strikes and protests were expected across the country, causing disruptions in public transportation, healthcare, and education, among other sectors.