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LAST UPDATE | 20 Mar 2023
THE FRENCH GOVERNMENT under President Emmanuel Macron has survived two no-confidence motions in parliament, but still faces intense pressure over its handling of a controversial pensions reform.
Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne incensed the opposition last week by announcing the government would impose the pension reform without a parliamentary vote, sparking accusations of anti-democratic behaviour.
The opposition filed two motions of no confidence in the government as a result.
The 577-seat National Assembly lower rejected the first motion – brought by the centrist LIOT coalition and supported by the left – by a margin of just nine votes, much narrower than expected.
It then overwhelmingly rejected a motion brought by the far-right National Rally (RN) with just 94 votes in favour.
The rejection of the motions means that the reform to raise the pensions age from 62 to 64 has now been adopted by the legislature.
It still needs to be signed into law by Macron and may yet face legal challenges from the left who have filed a request with the Constitutional Court for a referendum on the issue.
“I am determined to continue to carry out the necessary transformations in our country with my ministers and to devote all my energy to meeting the expectations of our fellow citizens,” Borne said in a statement to AFP after surviving the votes.
But it far from represents the end of the biggest domestic crisis of the second mandate in office of Macron, who has yet to make any public comment on the controversy.
A new round of strikes and protests has been called on Thursday and are expected to again bring public transport to a standstill in several areas.
There has been a rolling strike by rubbish collectors in Paris, leading to unsightly and unhygienic piles of trash accumulating in the French capital.
The future of Borne, appointed as France’s second woman premier by Macron after his election victory over the far right for a second mandate, remains in doubt after she failed to secure a parliamentary majority for the reform.
Meanwhile, it is unclear when Macron will finally make public comments over the events, amid reports he is considering an address to the nation.
Since Borne invoked article 49.3 of the constitution, there have also been daily protests in Paris and other cities that have on occasion turned violent.
An unsanctioned protest was taking place in central Paris today, with a tense standoff between protesters and anti-riot police, AFP correspondents said.
A total of 169 people were arrested nationwide on Saturday during spontaneous protests, including one that assembled 4,000 in the capital.
Hard-left figurehead Jean-Luc Melenchon said people “should express themselves everywhere and in all circumstances to force the withdrawal of the reform”.
Government insiders and observers have raised fears that France is again heading for another bout of violent anti-government protests, only a few years after the “Yellow Vest” movement shook the country from 2018-2019.
In order to pass, the main multi-party no confidence motion needed support from around half the 61 MPs of the traditional right-wing party The Republicans.
Even after its leadership insisted they should reject the motions, 19 renegade Republicans MPs voted in favour.
One of the Republicans who voted for the ousting of the government, Aurelien Pradie, said afterwards Macron should withdraw the “poisoned law”.
“It is obvious today that the government has a problem of legitimacy and the president cannot remain a spectator of this situation,” he told BFMTV.
The leader of the far-right in parliament Marine Le Pen, who challenged Macron in the 2022 elections, said Borne “should go or be made to resign by the president”.
A survey on Sunday showed the head of state’s personal rating at its lowest level since the height of the “Yellow Vest” protest movement in 2019, with only 28 percent of respondents having a positive view of him.
Macron has argued that the pension changes are needed to avoid crippling deficits in the coming decades linked to France’s ageing population.
Opponents of the reform say it places an unfair burden on low earners, women and people doing physically wearing jobs. Opinion polls have consistently shown that two thirds of French people oppose the changes.
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Shocking.
The poor woman as running away. Why shoot her dead?
The muggers shot her not the cops
@Joey_Westland
“The poor woman as running away. Why shoot her dead?”
Oy Vey! – You’ve some bl**dy cheek – your friends in the Zionist regime do it to innocent Palestinians on a near daily basis.
72 = an idiot…
Brazil – the multicultural paradise the globalists aspire to change Europe into.
European Christians have made a right mess of the country alright.
Pretty much Fake, different types of dangerous though, targeting different demographics.
i for one welcome multiculturalism, it increases the sexy mot quotient and thus my chance of bedding one of those fine ladies.
Delighted that the mugger was shot dead. Hope it puts out a warning to the other muggers. Feel sorry for the poor woman. Not a very safe city to visit.
It wont
Mugging doesn’t warrant death
Given that the other muggers had no problem shooting their muggee in the head, it just might warrant it.
Delighted? Paddy before you’ve even heard any mitigating circumstances you’ve decided you’re ‘delighted’ someone was shot dead? Ever wonder why it’s not a safe city, could the desperate levels of poverty have anything to do with it?
If the muggers are armed why should anyone be surprised if they get Shot ? Goes with the territory !
Is the picture above of the mugger? If so, he was cycling. I can’t catch him isn’t a good enough reason to shoot someone
I was in Rio a few years ago and the poverty is unbelievable. Restaurants put their scraps into bins outside and people collect the slop to feed themselves and their families . I saw a grown man who’s job was to walk a pet poodle on the hot pavements , the dog had hand made shoes on to save his paws , the man was barefooted. Says it all really .
Welcome to Rio, just a normal part of life there.
Everyday occurrence only highlighted because of the Olympics
i hope they aren’t putting a higher value on impressing the international sporting community than on the lives of poor people
The Moroccan lad saw nothing wrong with sexually assaulting 2 women, says a lot about team tariq culture.
Innocent until proven guilty or something along those lines
ah no shoot on sight, that can’t go wrong
Are the Brazilian cops challenging the Yanks for the gold medal for the number of kills or what.
The police sound incredibly trigger happy outside the stadium, poor people being picked off at the rate of four or five a day apparently, you darent sneeze in the direction of the sanctified stadium for fear of being shot
Maybe they it was a message to all the other $cum bags that if you mug a tourist, there will be a chance you’ll be shot in sight
Also hearing of a controlled explosion at the finish line of a race. Not a safe city at all.
So sad
Mad kip
No regard for life in the city of Rio.In the month of May alone this year,there were 40 people killed by police.
https://www.amnesty.org/en/press-releases/2016/07/huge-spike-in-number-of-deaths-committed-by-police-in-rio-ahead-of-the-olympic-games/
Terrible what happened to that woman. Rio can be a dangerous city but so can any city when your in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Jeepers, how many days are we into the tournament? What’s that… One?
Stray bullet at the equestrian center. NZ team was there and was lucky enough.
#notasafeplace
they shoot horses don’t they ?
burger meat has to come from somewhere
Sorry to say, but it Looks like the 2016 Olympics are going to break more records than just sports ones.
This will not end well….
I have no sympathy for these weasels mugging and killing people. The cop was spot on taking this piece of trash out of the system to rob no more.
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