Macron threatens his government on raising the retirement age
Actually this bill can be given legal form through voting in the Parliament or through the special powers of the President. In such a situation, amidst the apprehension of not getting a majority in the parliamentary vote, Macron decided to use his powers.
French President Emmanuel Macron has ordered Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne to exercise a special constitutional power. Following his order, Parliament may be forced to approve without voting the highly controversial bill to increase the retirement age from 62 to 64. Actually this bill can be given legal form through voting in the Parliament or through the special powers of the President. In such a situation, amidst the apprehension of not getting a majority in the parliamentary vote, Macron decided to use his powers.
On Thursday, minutes before a proposed vote on the bill in France’s lower house, Macron ordered the use of special power at a cabinet meeting held at the presidential office ‘Elysee’. Prime Minister Borne then said in the lower house, “Today, there is uncertainty. We cannot put our pension at stake. These reforms are necessary. Bourne said that his government was answerable to Parliament. And if the MPs want, they can stop these changes by presenting a motion of no confidence. At the beginning of next week, a no-confidence motion can be presented on this matter. It will need to be passed by a majority in the lower house.
If the no-confidence motion is passed, it will be the first to be passed after 1962 and the government will have to resign. If the no-confidence motion is not passed, the pension bill will be considered passed. The Senate, the upper house of parliament, approved the bill on Thursday. 193 votes were cast in its favor while 114 votes were cast against it. This was already expected as the Conservative Party, which supports the changes, has a majority in the Upper House. While the sanitation workers are continuing their strike, the students are also protesting against the bill.
The opponents of the bill are pressurizing the government to withdraw from it. On Wednesday, around 500,000 people protested across the country. Macron is in favor of raising the retirement age. Macron wants to push through the pension reform bill as part of his vision to make the French economy more competitive. On the other hand, Left and Right wing MPs are opposing it while Conservative MPs are divided on it.
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