Emmanuel Macron has chosen this Thursday to approve the controversial pension reform by decree, without a final vote in the National Assembly. The decision has been made a few minutes before the deputies met in the chamber.
The exceptional recourse to article 49.3 of the Constitution has taken place after hours of suspense and great political tension in Paris, with various meetings at the Élysée to weigh the pros and cons. Macron and the government feared being defeated, which would have further worsened the crisis, which is already the most serious since the current head of state arrived at the Elysee in May 2017.
It is certain that several motions of no confidence will be presented, with a great unknown as to whether any will prosper. If the latter were to happen, Macron would likely dissolve the National Assembly and call new elections.
Macron's supporters failed to get guarantees of sufficient votes from the Republicans (LR, traditional right), who are divided on reform. LR did vote for it in the Senate, but in the Assembly the dissidents were more numerous.
According to Elysee sources cited by various media, Macron's final decision has also weighed the danger of instability and the consequences in the markets, since France is a heavily indebted country. The European and world context after the bankruptcy of several banks in the United States, the critical situation of Credit Suisse and the volatility of the stock markets have undoubtedly had an influence. According to Macron, an eventual parliamentary defeat posed "too great financial and economic risks" for France. Approval by decree is a bad solution, but the fiasco in the Assembly would have been even worse. Now a few days are gained, although the risks persist and both the president and the government are very touched.
The forcible adoption of the reform, which plans to delay the legal retirement age by two years - from 62 to 64 - further outrages the unions, which will meet today to decide how to continue their protest. They consider that it is undemocratic and contemptuous behavior of the Executive. Since the beginning of the year there have already been eight days of mobilizations and strikes.
The underlying problem is that Macron's supporters lost their majority in the National Assembly in the legislative elections of June last year.
When the Prime Minister, Elisabeth Borne, appeared in the Assembly to announce the use of article 49.3, she was greeted with booing. Deputies from La Francia Insumisa (LFI, radical left) sang the national anthem, La Marseillaise. The session had to be temporarily suspended.
