Illustration photo – French Parliament.
Paris – Opposition MPs in the lower house of the French Parliament have until this afternoon to present motions of no confidence in the government of Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne in connection with the reform of the pension system. On Thursday, the government invoked Article 49 of the French constitution, which allows it to pass an unpopular law without a vote by the lower house. A vote of no confidence is the option opposition MPs now have to overturn the government's decision.
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The opposition has until 15:20 CET today to submit motions of no confidence in the cabinet. MPs from the extreme right-wing National Association party and apparently one other opposition club intend to do so.
The success of the opposition will depend on how the deputies decide to vote for the right-wing Republicans (LR). The head of this party, Éric Ciotti, announced on Thursday that he will not support the attempt to overthrow the government and reject the pension law. However, the club did not have a unified position on the pension reform promoted by French President Emmanuel Macron. The French media believe that some right-wing MPs could eventually support one of the proposals.
Prime Minister Borne announced in the National Assembly on Thursday that the government will use Article 49 of the Constitution because it did not get enough support among MPs. The article allows the adoption of a law even without a vote of the National Assembly. Opponents, however, have the opportunity to file a motion of no confidence in the government within 24 hours. If such a resolution is supported by the majority of deputies, then the law is considered rejected and the government must resign. Otherwise, the law is seen as a document approved by the lower house.
The use of Article 49 has been strongly criticized by representatives of the opposition and trade unions, which since January have been holding demonstrations with hundreds of thousands of participants and strikes against the pension reform, which is supposed to raise the age for retirement.
