Confused in France! Opponents of pension reform took to the streets
After the French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne introduced the 3rd paragraph of the 49th article of the Constitution, which allows a bill to pass without voting, for the pension reform bill, tensions arise between the demonstrators and the police at the protest organized by the opponents of the reform in Paris.
After the Borne government’s decision in the National Assembly to pass the bill on the reform, which aims to increase the retirement age from 62 to 64, without voting, opponents of the reforms are holding demonstrations in different cities of the country such as Lyon and Lille, especially in Paris.
There are tense moments between the police and the demonstrators in the ongoing demonstration in Concorde Square, close to the National Assembly in Paris.
While some demonstrators threw objects such as stones and fireworks at the police, the police responded with tear gas and water cannon against the demonstrators.
The police are trying to evacuate the demonstrators from the square. The demonstrators set fire to the barricades in the square.
According to the information AA correspondent obtained from a police source, there are thousands of demonstrators in the square.
Meanwhile, the country’s different labor unions have called for demonstrations this weekend and on March 23 against pension reform. The unions also called for a strike on 23 March.
STATEMENT FROM THE PRIME MINISTER OF FRANCE, BORNE
The guest of the French TF1 channel, Borne, made evaluations about the introduction of the 3rd paragraph of the 49th article of the Constitution, which ensures that a bill for the pension reform, which aims to gradually increase the retirement age to 64, is passed by the parliament without a vote.
Borne acknowledged that they did not have enough votes to pass the pension reform bill in the National Assembly.
Stating that they did their best to gather the sufficient majority in the parliament for the bill until the last moment, Borne stated that French President Emmanuel Macron and he actually wanted to go to a vote in the parliament for this reform.
Borne pointed out that there is a difference between the initial version of the bill and the final version approved by the Senate in the morning.
Regarding the booing rising from the opposition ranks when he announced that he had put into effect the 3rd paragraph of Article 49 of the constitution at the General Assembly of the Assembly, Borne said, “I was not angry. I was shocked.” said.
ARTICLE 49 OF THE CONSTITUTION, § 3
Paragraph 3 of Article 49 of the Constitution authorizes the government to pass the bill without a vote in the National Assembly and allows the opposition to submit a motion of no confidence against it.
If the no-confidence motion receives the support of the majority of the deputies in the Assembly, the government falls.
If the proposal is not supported by the majority in the Assembly, the bill is considered passed without a vote in the Assembly and comes before the Senate.
The French took to the streets many times for mass strikes and demonstrations against the pension reform, the content of which was announced by Borne on January 10. (AA)
