Opposition parties have announced that they are filing motions of censure against the French government, which on Thursday triggered article 49.3 of the constitution to have its controversial pension reform project adopted.
The president of the National Rally group in the National Assembly, Marine Le Pen, has indicated that she will table a motion of censure to bring down the government of Elisabeth Borne.
“We are going to table a motion of censure and we hope that those who were preparing to vote for the reform will vote for the motion of censure,” she told the press as they left the hemicycle.
She denounced a “de facto political crisis situation”, adding that Elisabeth Borne “cannot stay” at Matignon and that the use of 49.3 is “an acknowledgment of total failure” for Emmanuel Macron.
For his part, Fabien Roussel, deputy of the Communist Party, declared that the motion of censure of his party was “ready”.
The Green deputy Julien Bayou indicated, for his part, that a motion of censure will be presented and that “this is perhaps the first time that a motion of censure can bring down the government”.
Elisabeth Borne engaged the responsibility of her government by resorting to article 49 paragraph 3 of the Constitution to pass the pension reform, which had received the green light in the morning from the Senate, dominated by the right.
The decision to use this constitutional article was taken in an exceptional council of ministers gathered around President Emmanuel Macron, who was unable to secure an absolute majority to vote in the lower house of parliament.
Ms. Borne thus triggers for the 11th time the responsibility of her government to validate bills presented by the government since her arrival at Matignon.
Following this announcement, the President of the National Assembly announced that the examination of the project has been suspended and that it will be considered adopted unless a motion of censure is presented by the opposition within 24 hours.
The government’s decision aroused the anger and indignation of the oppositions who denounced a “denial” and a democratic “shock” on the part of the executive and a “shame” for French democracy.
The inter-union, bringing together the main unions in the country, had called, shortly before the opening of the parliamentary session, the deputies not to vote on the text.
It will meet on Thursday evening to decide on the actions to be taken as part of its mobilization against the controversial reform.
France has lived since January 19 eight days of mobilization and demonstrations against this reform.