French government narrowly survives no-confidence votes over pensions reform

The French government survived two no-confidence motions in parliament on Monday evening, but still faces intense pressure over its handling of a controversial pensions reform. Unions have already called for a ninth day of strikes and protests on Thursday.

French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne delivers a speech prior to the vote of two motions of no confidence at the French National Assembly, on March 20, 2023. AFP - BERTRAND GUAY

Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne incensed the opposition last week by announcing the government would impose the pension reform without a parliamentary vote, sparking accusations of anti-democratic behaviour.

The opposition filed two motions of no confidence in the government as a result and angry protests were held over the weekend.

Brought by the centrist Liot parliamentary group, the first motion received 278 votes – nine short of the 287 votes it needed to succeed.

MPs then overwhelmingly rejected a motion brought by the far-right National Rally (RN) with just 94 votes in favour.

The rejection of the motions means that the reform to raise the pensions age from 62 to 64 has now been adopted by the legislature.

Call to Constitutional Court

It still needs to be signed into law by Macron and may yet face legal challenges from the left who have filed a request with the Constitutional Court for a referendum on the issue. It is unclear when Macron will finally make public comments over the events, amid reports he is considering an address to the nation.

"I am determined to continue to carry out the necessary transformations in our country with my ministers and to devote all my energy to meeting the expectations of our fellow citizens," Borne said in a statement to French AFP news agency after surviving the votes.

Meanwhile, hundreds of people spontaneously took to the streets in Paris and in other cities to express their anger after the result of the no-confidence votes.

BFM TV footage showed piles of rubbish, leftover from the rolling bin collectors' strike set alight, and some protesters grabbing metal barriers to block access to streets by police. At least 70 people were arrested by around 9pm.

🔴 Manifestations spontanées: au moins 70 interpellations ont eu lieu à Paris, selon la police pic.twitter.com/AFcyt1qLHo

— BFMTV (@BFMTV) March 20, 2023

Problem of legitimacy

In order to pass, the main multi-party no confidence motion needed support from around half the 61 MPs of the traditional right-wing party The Republicans.

Even after its leadership insisted they should reject the motions, 19 renegade Republicans MPs voted in favour.

One of the Republicans who voted for the ousting of the government, Aurelien Pradie, said afterwards Macron should withdraw the "poisoned law".

"It is obvious today that the government has a problem of legitimacy and the president cannot remain a spectator of this situation," he told BFM TV.

The leader of the far-right in parliament Marine Le Pen, who challenged Macron in the 2022 elections, said Borne "should go or be made to resign by the president".

Assembly fireworks

Ahead of the no-confidence vote Monday, which was held behind closed doors, MPs in the National Assembly locked horns in fierce debate.

Charles de Courson, France’s longest-serving MP, denounced the “denial of democracy” as he presented the Liot group’s motion to the chamber.

“Nothing forced you to use 49.3. Courage and respect for French institutions should have led to a [parliamentary] vote,” he said.

“You would have very likely lost the vote – but that are the rules of a democracy.”

Meanwhile Socialist Party MP Boris Vallaud denounced "a coup against reason", accusing the Prime Minister of a reform that was "crippled with lies".

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Far-left lawmakers react as they hold papers reading: "64 years. It is no", "appointment in the street", "we are continuing", at the National Assembly in Paris at the National Assembly in Paris, Monday, March 20, 2023. © AP/Lewis Joly

Government defence

Borne reminded lawmakers that article 49.3 was "not the invention of a dictator" as she urged parliamentarians not to vote on the measure – adding the government gone further than ever before in compromising on certain details of the reform.

Last week the PM blamed lack of support for the reform from Republican Party MPs for forcing the government’s hand in its decision to invoke article 49.3.

"Some members of the LR group played a personal card and went against their group," Borne told TF1.

"The numbers might not have been there for the bill to pass. We couldn't gamble on it."

The upper-house Senate, which is dominated by conservatives, approved the pension reform last week.

A survey of 2,000 people published in the Journal du Dimanche Sunday paper gave Macron an approval rating of 28 percent, his lowest since 2019's mass Yellow Vests demonstrations against a new fuel tax.