Macron’s defiant show of force in parliament
exposes a weakened president
Old-school politicking is coming back to bite the man
who blew up traditional politics in France.
BY CLEA
CAULCUTT
MARCH 16,
2023 3:21 PM CET
PARIS —
French President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to bypass parliament and impose his
deeply unpopular pensions reform has revealed an uncompromising and weakened
leader who now faces severe backlash from emboldened opposition lawmakers and
protesters.
Macron had
vowed to abandon his top-down approach to politics and work with opposition
parties during his second term. But when it comes to old-style politicking,
Macron’s troops still have a lot to learn.
Despite
intense lobbying efforts with MPs and frantic meetings at the Elysée on
Thursday and in the weeks leading up to the decisive moment, the French
president and his stalwart lieutenant Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne faced the
likelihood of a defeat in parliament and decided instead to invoke a
controversial constitutional tool — article 49.3 — to bypass a vote.
“My
political interest would have been to submit to a vote … But I consider that
the financial, economic risks are too great at this stage,” Macron privately
told ministers according to a participant at the meeting.
Macron’s
flagship pensions reform aims to increase the legal age of retirement to 64
from 62 and extend contributions for a full pension in an effort to balance the
accounts of France’s state pensions system. Macron’s Renaissance party lost its
absolute majority in the National Assembly in parliamentary elections last
year, but the government was able to pass legislation in recent months with the
support of the conservative party Les Républicains. It appears, however, that
in the nail-biting run-up to the vote, there were concerns the president wasn’t
able to rally enough troops in favor of the bill.
Arriving in
parliament on Thursday, Borne faced scenes of anger and unrest in the National
Assembly as she made her announcement triggering article 49.3. Far-left
lawmakers from the France Unbowed party booed and chanted the national anthem
the Marseillaise as far-right National Rally MPs shouted “Resign! Resign!” The
speaker of the house was forced to suspend debates to allow Borne to make her
speech.
“We can’t
take the risk of seeing 175 hours of parliamentary debate come to nothing,”
Borne said.
After the
announcement, opposition MPs vowed to continue the battle against the reform,
either in parliament, by supporting a motion of no-confidence, or in the
streets.
The leader
of the far-right National Rally, Marine Le Pen, slammed the move as a “personal
failure” for Macron. “It’s his reform, he’s the one who proposed it and
defended it during his campaign,” she told reporters at the National Assembly.
Spontaneous
protests erupted Thursday evening in several cities across France, including
Paris, where thousands of protestors descended on the Place de la Concorde
after the move, clashing with police and setting fire to scaffolding. Trade
unions called for a day of protest on March 23, undeterred by Macron’s decision
to push through the legislation.
Article 49.3, ‘a denial of democracy’
Invoking
article 49.3 is widely seen as a perilous move for the government as it allows
MPs to put forward a motion of no-confidence within 24 hours and risks
radicalizing protest movements in France. Trade unions have already shown great
unity and led almost weekly marches and strikes, bringing out hundreds of
thousands of citizens to the streets. In Paris, a strike by garbage collectors
has seen an estimated 7,000 tons of garbage left on the street.
While the
French constitution does allow governments to bypass parliament under certain
conditions, its use is increasingly seen as undemocratic in France amid social
tensions and the growing mistrust of politicians.
“The
government’s use of the 49.3 procedure reflects the failure of this
presidential minority,” Charles de Courson, a longtime independent lawmaker,
told the BFMTV news channel.
“They are
not just a minority in the National Assembly, they are a minority in the whole
country. The denial of democracy continues,” he said.
Speaking
ahead of the vote, Frédéric Dabi, general director of the IFOP polling
institute, said that opinions on invoking article 49.3 — as opposed to passing
a tight vote in parliament — are “radically different.”
“Public
opinions on the 49.3 article have changed … it is regarded as a tool to
brutalize the National Assembly: it’s now seen as authoritarian instead of
merely authoritative. People want more transparency, more democracy today,” he
said.
But the
show of force also exposes a weakened president, who after having lost a
majority in parliament and amid low popularity ratings, was unable to turn the
tide of public opinion in France.
Surviving now, and later
In the
short term, the government will have to survive several motions of
no-confidence that are expected to be voted on Monday. Macron’s government has
faced down motions of no confidence in the past but the stakes are much higher
this time around.
“It’s maybe
the first time that a motion of no-confidence may overthrow the government,”
Green MP Julien Bayou told reporters, adding that the government was “prepared
to wreak havoc” in the country.
Longer
term, the move destroys prospects of a closer alliance between Macron’s
Renaissance party and the conservative Les Républicains following a string of
ad-hoc deals in recent months. In a worrying sign for Macron’s second term, as
the debates on the pensions reform reached a climax, the leadership of the conservative
party could not muster its own faithful despite concessions on the bill from
the ruling party.
The great
irony for Macron — needing partners and not finding them — is that he is the
man who upended France’s political landscape by crushing the traditional
left-wing and right-wing parties in 2017.
The dilemma
for Macron is how he will get anything done in the next four yours of his
presidency, given the reinvigorated opposition he is sure to face in a
parliament dominated by the far left and the far right, and without reliable
coalition partners.
Perhaps the
only silver lining for Macron is the view from abroad.
“On the
international scene, it’s a sign that France can make reforms, even if,
frankly, many may think we are having a nervous breakdown over something so
small, given that the government has made so many concessions [on the bill],”
said Chloé Morin, a writer and political analyst ahead of the vote.
“Everybody
knows that [reforming pensions] in France is difficult …That’s what’s at stake
for Macron: he is a president who is building his legacy,” she said.
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