• The France government has chosen to push through unpopular pension reforms.
• Without a vote due to the unpopularity of the proposal.
• The government is facing opposition from demonstrators.

In order to avoid a vote that might have gone either way in the National Assembly, the France government has chosen to push through its unpopular pension reforms.

Ministers realized they might not have the necessary support in the lower house, despite the fact that the proposal to raise the pension age from 62 to 64 passed the upper chamber on Thursday.

Now, Élisabeth Borne, the prime minister, will rely on a legal process.

The government may enact laws in accordance with Article 49:3 without a vote.

Weeks of strikes and protests have been called across France in response to the pension reforms.

Despite the fact that President Emmanuel Macron was re-elected in 2017 on a program of retirement changes, his coalition’s government lacks a majority in the Assembly, necessitating the participation of the Republicans.

In an effort to pass their bill, representatives from his Renaissance party spent the morning frantically cajoling members into line.

They were aware that some of their lawmakers might abstain or vote against the measure given its obvious unpopularity.

Even on the eve of the vote, President Macron made the suggestion that he would dissolve the Assembly and hold early elections. Possibly it was a bluff, but perhaps it wasn’t.

He started tabulating the yes and no votes on Thursday in secret at the Élysée Palace with the prime minister and other important individuals.

Ms. Borne would proceed without a vote, sources informed French media minutes before the Assembly was scheduled to begin.

The 49:3 clause’s drawback is that it would enable the opposition to call a motion for censure.

The government is also aware that it will encounter opposition from demonstrators, who view the 49:3 as anti-democratic.

The unions, who have already organized eight days of demonstrations throughout France, earlier urged Parliamentarians to oppose the amendments. 80% of the populace and 94% of the workforce oppose the project, according to François Hommeril of the CFE-CGC.

Hard-line CGT member Philippe Martinez issued a warning that protests will continue regardless of the outcome of the ballot or whether the government invoked the constitution to impose the reforms.

Separately, after warning Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo that striking trash employees would be brought back to work under pain of jail time or a substantial fine, police entered a waste dump in the French capital and cleared it out.

Since March 5th, heaps of trash bags have accumulated in numerous areas of Paris and other towns, with 7,600 tonnes still uncollected as of Thursday.

Due to their tough working conditions, refuse collectors currently work till the age of 57. They would have to keep working until they are 59 under the amendments.

To qualify for a full pension under the proposals, employees would have to pay into the system for 43 years.

[embedpost slug=”rishi-sunak-announces-new-detention-center-in-france/”]