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In the midst of strong protests after the French government approved the increase in the retirement age without going through the National Assembly, President Emmanuel Macron reiterated on March 22 the implementation of the pension reform and assured that it will be done by the end of 2023. Likewise, the president defended the continuity of Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne, after the Administration passed two motions of censure.
“This reform is necessary.” With these words, the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, defended the establishment of the unpopular pension reform, which mainly seeks to increase the retirement age from 62 to 64 years.
The president went further and assured that his government is ready to implement the regulations as of the last quarter of 2023.
These statements occurred in his first interview with local television, after his government endorsed the amendment with the application of article 49.3 of the Constitution, for which the initiative was exempt from being submitted to a vote in the National Assembly, the Chamber Lower Parliament, where the right does not have a majority.
The leader of the Élysée also defended the continuity in the position of his prime minister Élisabeth Borne. Despite the fact that his Administration passed two motions of censure on Monday, March 20, the opposition deputies demand the resignation of the premier.
“She has my confidence to lead this government team,” Macron stressed, in dialogue with ‘TF1’ journalists.
During the defense of the norm, the president also urged initiatives to improve the labor and salary situation of employees in the nation.
Although the approval of the reform was made through a constitutional mechanism, the political opposition, thousands of citizens and unions consider it an undemocratic measure, which has raised anger in the streets.
Meanwhile, the amendment is still being studied in the Constitutional Court, after On Tuesday, March 21, the extreme right-wing Agrupación Nacional (RN) party filed an appeal before the Constitutional Council.
The goal is for “this text to fall into the oblivion of history and be thrown away,” said Thomas Ménagé, spokesman for that group led by former presidential candidate Marine Le Pen.
For now, the unions and opponents do not give up and announce more protests. The inter-union called for a new day of strikes and demonstrations in France against the pension reform for Thursday, March 23.
With Reuters and AFP
