The issue of pension reform in France could well have an unexpected twist. The group of centrist MPs who led the parliamentary rebellion at the time of the vote of no confidence in Elisabeth Borne’s government intends to propose a new bill to repeal the reform wanted by Emmanuel Macron.
A group of centrist MPs, the LIOT group (Liberté, Indépendance, Outre-mer et Territoires), made itself known during the debate phase in the National Assembly by proposing a motion of censure aimed at toppling the government. Its position as a pivotal figure in the hemicycle allowed it to gather a large number of votes, both from the Right (Les Républicains and Rassemblement National) and the Left (NUPES coalition). The motion of censure failed by very few votes: only 9 more were needed to overturn Elisabeth Borne and reject the pension reform bill.
The LIOT group does not admit defeat and has announced its intention to propose a new bill to repeal the pension reform. After having hesitated to put forward a proposal that would aim to repeal the reform in its entirety, they will focus more specifically on the repeal of Article 7—the one that pushes back the legal retirement age from 62 to 64 years. An opportunity will be offered to them on June 8th during their ‘parliamentary niche,’ i.e., the possibility offered to them by the Constitution as a minority parliamentary group to present a bill of their choice to the deputies.
The Socialist MPs would have liked to do the same, but their own parliamentary niche has already passed. The communists are also out of time. The only possibility to react to the pension reform is thus once again in the hands of the LIOT group.
The text will certainly gather a significant number of deputies: those of the left-wing coalition of the NUPES as well as those of the Rassemblement National, the deputies of the LIOT group, and an undetermined number of deputies of the Les Républicains party. The text may pass, especially if some deputies are absent or abstain, but the vote may once again be very close. This time, the majority will be calculated on the number of deputies present, and not on the totality of the deputies as for the vote on the motion of censure in March.
Faced with this new offensive from the opposition, Élisabeth Borne’s government does not intend to let it happen. The bill will be examined on June 8th, but the examination of the text and all its amendments must be done between 9:00 a.m. and midnight. The government camp, therefore, has every interest in prolonging the debates, as a strategy of blocking by multiplying the amendments—a dangerous game that will fuel, once again, the accusations of contempt for democracy that have been levelled against Emmanuel Macron and his supporters for several weeks.
If adopted, the bill will then have to be approved by the Senate, where it is likely to be rejected. In any case, the issue of pensions is likely to remain at the forefront of the French political scene for many weeks to come.
Centrist Bill To Abolish Pension Reform?
The issue of pension reform in France could well have an unexpected twist. The group of centrist MPs who led the parliamentary rebellion at the time of the vote of no confidence in Elisabeth Borne’s government intends to propose a new bill to repeal the reform wanted by Emmanuel Macron.
A group of centrist MPs, the LIOT group (Liberté, Indépendance, Outre-mer et Territoires), made itself known during the debate phase in the National Assembly by proposing a motion of censure aimed at toppling the government. Its position as a pivotal figure in the hemicycle allowed it to gather a large number of votes, both from the Right (Les Républicains and Rassemblement National) and the Left (NUPES coalition). The motion of censure failed by very few votes: only 9 more were needed to overturn Elisabeth Borne and reject the pension reform bill.
The LIOT group does not admit defeat and has announced its intention to propose a new bill to repeal the pension reform. After having hesitated to put forward a proposal that would aim to repeal the reform in its entirety, they will focus more specifically on the repeal of Article 7—the one that pushes back the legal retirement age from 62 to 64 years. An opportunity will be offered to them on June 8th during their ‘parliamentary niche,’ i.e., the possibility offered to them by the Constitution as a minority parliamentary group to present a bill of their choice to the deputies.
The Socialist MPs would have liked to do the same, but their own parliamentary niche has already passed. The communists are also out of time. The only possibility to react to the pension reform is thus once again in the hands of the LIOT group.
The text will certainly gather a significant number of deputies: those of the left-wing coalition of the NUPES as well as those of the Rassemblement National, the deputies of the LIOT group, and an undetermined number of deputies of the Les Républicains party. The text may pass, especially if some deputies are absent or abstain, but the vote may once again be very close. This time, the majority will be calculated on the number of deputies present, and not on the totality of the deputies as for the vote on the motion of censure in March.
Faced with this new offensive from the opposition, Élisabeth Borne’s government does not intend to let it happen. The bill will be examined on June 8th, but the examination of the text and all its amendments must be done between 9:00 a.m. and midnight. The government camp, therefore, has every interest in prolonging the debates, as a strategy of blocking by multiplying the amendments—a dangerous game that will fuel, once again, the accusations of contempt for democracy that have been levelled against Emmanuel Macron and his supporters for several weeks.
If adopted, the bill will then have to be approved by the Senate, where it is likely to be rejected. In any case, the issue of pensions is likely to remain at the forefront of the French political scene for many weeks to come.
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