Pension reform: Emmanuel Macron “wants” a vote in the Assembly, not 49.3

If deputies and senators agreed on a compromise text on pension reform on Wednesday, then a new passage to the National Assembly will be more likely the moment of truth for Emmanuel Macron’s project. The president “wants to go to the vote,” the Élysée Cathedral said on Wednesday night after the head of state met with Elizabeth Bourne and ministers, except that 49.3 is currently running, although the government is not at all sure that it will have a majority. .

“We must mobilize all parliamentarians in the spirit of responsibility,” “consultations will continue tomorrow to continue mobilization,” said the president’s entourage on the eve of this decisive vote and are still not sure if there is a majority in favor of the reform.

49.3, risky political gesture

A pass on 49.3 would be synonymous with a pass in force. If the government has already used it ten times since the start of the mandate, brandishing it for this symbolic project could have serious repercussions. Reaching out to him would be seen as a very risky political gesture that could fuel the protest movement, several union leaders also warned. Its use also exposes the executive to condemnation and hence the downfall of the government.

On the social front, on the eighth day of mobilization, the CGT counted 1.7 million demonstrators in France and the Ministry of the Interior 480,000, more than last Saturday but much less than on March 7th. In Paris, the union counted 450,000 demonstrators and the police 37,000. After these demonstrations, the union “solemnly” called on parliamentarians to vote against the reform.