Digression: “impressive failure”, “extreme admission of weakness” … the opposition denounces the use of 49.3.

The outrage intensified this Thursday after the government decided to use Article 49.3 to push through pension reform after failing to secure a solid majority in the Assembly. Emmanuel Macron recalled that “his political will” was to “go to the vote”, but justified the use of the main constitutional weapon on the “too great financial risks” that a rejection would entail. Several opposition politicians condemned his decision.

“The presidential minority collapsed before our eyes, with Ms. Born, who fully played her role as a fuse and somehow burned out during this session,” the leader of rebellious France, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, scoffed. After this “spectacular failure”, he said, the social movement has “a good chance of having the last word.” “We are faced with a text that is not accepted in the forms of parliamentary democracy,” the rebel leader insisted, and trade union leaders called for an increase in the protest movement taking place in the country. “Unions are calling for further action, and that is what we will do,” confirmed the MP for Bouches-du-Rhone.

The leader of the National Rally, Marine Le Pen, announced, for her part, that she would submit a vote of no confidence in the government after the application of 49.3. The three-time unsuccessful presidential candidate believed that the use of 49.3 “is a statement of the complete failure of Emmanuel Macron”, a “personal failure” of the President of the Republic, as well as an “extreme admission of weakness” on the part of the government. . According to her, Elizabeth Bourne “cannot stay” in Matignon. “She has to leave. The stay will be considered an additional slap in the face for the French people,” she added, describing the situation as a “political crisis.”

The deputies of the Republic of Lithuania, appointed by the government responsible for the failure of the vote in the Assembly, for not lining up for the majority, returned the responsibility to the government through Eric Ciotti. “The government spoiled this reform, which, I repeat, is necessary for me (…). Voting was possible. The LR group had a majority in favor of the reform, though a modest majority,” he said. “49.3 (…) is the failure of several years of policy and method, which did not lead to finding a majority,” he lamented, causing “a deep crisis in our institution.” However, the Alpes-Maritimes MP announced that his group would not vote for any vote of no confidence in the government.

According to Aurélien Pradier, the MP who was fired from the number 2 position in the Republican Party a few weeks ago, Emmanuel Macron, who resorted to 49.3, “outrages and splits the country.” He himself mentioned the possibility of voting for the proposal made by the LIOT (Freedoms, Independents, Overseas and Territories) group. “I do not order anyone, the deputies are free,” but “any hypotheses are possible,” he admitted.

The leader of the French Communist Party (PCF), Fabien Roussel, for his part, called for the start of a “great popular battle with the unions” to organize a common initiative referendum (RIP). “The government chose 49.3 and decided to make this reform even more illegitimate! he denounced on Twitter. “Shame on a democracy, this government is unworthy of the Fifth Republic. It’s hard to say, ”he reacted to the announcement of the government’s use of 49.3.

Even in the majority, several MPs said they were “overwhelmed” by the government’s appeal to 49.3 on pension reform. “It was a mistake to put 49.3 on such a text, given the state of our democracy. We had to go to the vote, even if it meant defeat. I’m shocked,” MP Erwan Balanant (MoDem) responded.

On the street, the protest should logically continue, even intensify, as CFDT leader Laurent Bergé stated: “Obviously there will be new mobilizations, because the protest is extremely strong,” he admitted.