France, government replaces Parliament: pension reform is law

Emmanuel Macron approves pension reform without National Assembly vote. The government bypasses the National Assembly in France and the text of one of the most important reforms is finally approved by the Senate: this is how the hard line of the French president passes, who opted to apply Article 49.3 of the Constitution to approve his reform in the lower house of parliament.

“My political interest would have been to go to the polls” but “the financial, economic risks are too great” declared Macron during the Council of Ministers in which he gave the government the green light to raise the issue of confidence in the reform. The president allegedly threatened the dissolution of the National Assembly at Tuesday night’s meeting at the Elysée if a vote was received against his reform of the pension system.

Marine Le Pen, president of the Rassemblement National, announced instead that she will file a motion of censure against the government led by Elisabeth Borne. “It is a political crisis indeed”, said Le Pen, “Borne cannot stay.” Le Pen added that the use of art. 49.3 to pass pension reform is “an acknowledgment of Emmanuel Macron’s utter failure”