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France Descends into Chaos as President Macron Takes a Play Out of Dictator’s Playbook

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2 years ago

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Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne announced on Thursday in the National Assembly that French President Emmanuel Macron will be using special constitutional powers to pass the proposed pension reform bill, despite it not yet being voted on. The bill aims to increase France’s retirement age from 62 to 64, and has been met with controversy and widespread protests. This move by the government is likely to further fuel the ongoing protest movement in the country.

Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne declared that the government would activate Article 49.3 of the French Constitution.

Article 49.3 of the French Constitution allows the Prime Minister to engage the responsibility of his or her government before the National Assembly on a piece of legislation. This means that the legislation is considered adopted unless a motion of censure is filed within 24 hours of the announcement. This procedure is often used to pass controversial pieces of legislation without extended parliamentary debate.

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The article has been used several times in the history of the Fifth French Republic, often for important reforms such as the retirement reform in 2016. Its use has been criticized for being anti-democratic and preventing in-depth parliamentary debate.

Since January, opponents of the pension reform bill proposed by the Borne government in France have organized a series of general strikes and demonstrations. The proposed pension reform bill aims to increase the retirement age from 62 to 64 years old, and despite the ongoing demonstrations, President Emmanuel Macron has emphasized that the reforms will proceed. In response, French unions have declared further strikes and protests for January 31st, with the aim of halting the government’s plans.

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The new law would also increase annual pension contributions from 41 to 43 payments throughout the year. The strikes have caused cancellations of some flights out of Orly Airport, while the Eurostar website reported the cancellation of many routes between Paris and London. As of early March, trains around the country continue to be affected by strikes and protests, with an estimated 1.1 to 1.4 million people participating in over 260 protests across the country.

As part of the ongoing protest, union members have blocked fuel deliveries, with the intention of crippling the French economy. Macron’s proposal to raise the retirement age has been compared to former President Nicholas Sarkozy’s 2010 reform, which raised the retirement age from 60 to 62 and led to massive strikes and protests across France. Public opinion polling analysis has shown that Sarkozy’s push for reform played a role in driving voters to both the Socialist Party and the far-right National Front in the 2012 Presidential election.

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The last time Article 49.3 of the French Constitution was used was in February 2020 by the Philippe government to pass controversial pension reforms. The use of this article caused significant protests and strikes across the country. Since then, there have been calls to reform or abolish Article 49.3, with some arguing that it undermines parliamentary democracy.



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