Edouard Philippe at the Meeting, March 3, 2020. – Jacques Witt / SIPA
Unsurprisingly, the National Assembly rejected on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday the two motions of censorship against the government, thereby adopting at first reading the pension reform project, according to the procedure of 49-3.
# RéformeDesRetraites | No motion of censure being adopted, the bill establishing a universal pension system is considered as adopted at first reading. #DirectAN pic.twitter.com/lSaGSObb7z
– National Assembly (@AssembleeNat) March 3, 2020
The motion tabled by the left won 91 votes, far below the 289 votes – the absolute majority of deputies – that would have been necessary to overthrow the government by Edouard Philippe, President Richard Ferrand (LREM) announced on the roost. The right-wing motion won 148 votes earlier.
An “unprecedented parliamentary fiasco”
After 13 days of an extraordinary journey to the Assembly at first reading, Edouard Philippe had signed Saturday the end of the game with the surprise use of 49-3, this constitutional tool allowing the text to be adopted without a vote, by committing government responsibility. Immediately, LR and the three left groups had tabled their motions.
The leader of the deputies LR Damien Abad defended the first, pointing to an “unprecedented parliamentary fiasco” on a reform that will make the French the “big losers”. Communist André Chassaigne castigated a “democratic disaster” after the use of the “fatal” weapon of 49-3 which “completes the chronicle of the fiasco announced for this reform”.
“You have fractured the country,” added socialist Valérie Rabault, while Jean-Luc Mélenchon (LFI) tackled a 49-3 “slyly decided”, promising the continuation of a “popular and parliamentary, peaceful guerilla”. Opposed to the motions, Jean-Christophe Lagarde (UDI-Agir) for his part regretted the “lamentable spectacle” given by the Assembly. “We have gone around the law a hundred times,” said Patrick Mignola (MoDem), while Gilles Le Gendre (LREM) launched under hoots to the left of the left, behind thousands of amendments: “The 49-3, it’s you! “.
Opponents still on the street
After these contrasting interventions, like the debates for two weeks, the Prime Minister calmly replied, insisting on a reform of “social justice”: “those who defend the status quo (…) tell far too often from Calembredaines “. Refusing any “coup”, he observed that it would have taken “8 weeks”, including weekends, to get to the end.
Having a minority that “systematically blocks substantive issues” is not to “honor parliamentary debate,” added Edouard Philippe, touting a “compromise text” with the incorporation of 180 amendments from the various benches.
On the street, the opponents of the reform, mobilized since December 5, continue the fight: they demonstrated again Tuesday in Paris and in the provinces against this “passage in force”. Within the sparse processions, the slogans proclaimed “Traitor Macron and Pensions” or “49-3, we don’t want it”.
