Is it possible that in two weeks of parliamentary debate the essentials of a law will not be debated? In France, yes. The text of the pension reform will go through its first parliamentary process this Friday after 15 days of discussions but without the deputies having addressed the most controversial article in the package (article 7), which refers to the delay in the retirement age of the 62 current years at 64. The slowdown in the debate due to the thousands of amendments submitted makes it unlikely that that point will be reached before midnight, the deadline before the text automatically goes to the Senate.
The left-wing parties had filed tens of thousands of amendments, which have made it impossible to move forward these days. On Wednesday La Francia Insumisa withdrew a thousand and this Friday, the day on which the deadline for debating the text expires, several parties withdrew as many to expedite the debate, but it is too late.
To this blockage we must add the interruptions, the session suspensions… The atmosphere in the last few sessions has been very tense, with shouting and insults included. The Minister of Labor, in charge of defending the reform, has come to be called a murderer. This cost the expulsion of the deputy of La Francia Insumisa who accused him.
The text will thus go to its next stage, the Senate, without having addressed the heart of the reform and the most controversial point. The debate ends this morning, although first thing in the morning the deputies were still stuck on article 2 and were entangled in alternative formulas to balance the pension piggy bank.
Both blame each other for not having been able to debate the point relating to the retirement age, which is opposed by practically the entire parliamentary arch. The Government (which saves having to defend it) accuses the radical left of blocking the debate, and these in turn criticize the Government for its authoritarianism.
The regulations of the Assembly oblige to go point by point, which is why it has not been possible to advance the debate and reach the 7th before. The text will go to the Senate, then to a mixed commission of the two chambers, which must have a final version of the project, which should finally be approved before March 26. The Government, in principle, has the support of the right wing of Los Republicanos to carry out its reform, although anything can happen, since it has already had to make concessions to this group to obtain their support.
In the case of not obtaining the necessary votes, the Executive could resort to article 49.3, an emergency mechanism that will allow it to carry out its package without the vote of Parliament. In principle, it is not planned to come to this, which would cause a social crisis. Most of the French accuse Macron of being an arrogant and authoritarian president and resorting to this exceptional article would aggravate it.
Before reaching that date, the unions want to get the government to back down with the pressure on the streets. On March 7 they have called a massive demonstration with which they hope to blockade the country. It would be the sixth mobilization against the project.
As of this midnight, as the culmination of two weeks of debate and once the reform has been sent to the Senate, Marine Le Pen will defend a motion of no confidence against the Government, which she presented on Wednesday and which has no chance of success.
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