French government survives no-confidence votes over pension reform

The French government survived two no-confidence motions in parliament on Monday evening over its decision to impose controversial pension reform without a vote in the National Assembly - and protests once again broke out in several French cities.

Published: 20 March 2023 18:52 CET
Updated: 20 March 2023 22:15 CET

French government survives no-confidence votes over pension reform

A burning pile of rubbish in front of Opera Garnier during a demonstration in Paris on Monday evening. Photo: Christophe ARCHAMBAULT / AFP

A multi-party vote of no-confidence in French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne’s government was defeated by just nine votes on Monday evening.

The motion brought by the centrist Liot coalition garnered 278 votes in the 577-seat National Assembly, just nine short of the necessary 287 MPs needed to topple the government.

Following that first vote, France’s Assemblée Nationale voted on a second no-confidence motion brought by the far-right National Rally (RN) seen as less dangerous for the government.

Unlike the first motion the second brought by the far-right party was overwhelmingly rejected by parliament.

Both motions of no-confidence were sparked by the decision of the government to use Article 49.3 of the constitution to force through highly controversial reforms of the pension system without a vote in the lower house, the Assemblée Nationale.

The decision sparked a weekend of protests – some violent – across France.

Immediately after the vote, MPs from the leftist Nupes alliance brandished signs saying ‘RIP’ and ‘gather in the streets’.

The no-confidence vote was tabled by the small parliamentary group known as Liot, largely composed of MPs from France’s overseas territories and Corsica and attracted support from both the Leftist group in parliament and the far-right Rassemblement National.

However with both Macron’s centrist alliance Ensemble and some of the centre-right Les Républicains not supporting the motion, it failed to gather the necessary votes – although with a margin of only none votes it is the closest shave yet for Macron’s party, which does not have an overall majority in parliament.

Borne had signalled before the vote that will meet the leaders of all the parliamentary groups on Monday evening.

After the news of the vote broke, demonstrations began in several towns and cities around France.

At least 70 people were arrested in Paris, with bins and street furniture set on fire in several areas.

Après s’être déplacés de Place Vauban vers Saint-Lazare, de petits groupes de manifestants se rapprochent de l’Opéra. Plusieurs feux de poubelles allumés rue Auber. #ReformedesRetraites @LeParisien_75 pic.twitter.com/gXcVeeZ7pT

— Auguste Canier (@gustocanier) March 20, 2023

Shortly after the vote, a protest of several hundred people began in the Place Vauban, calling for Emmanuel Macron’s resignation.

🔴 ALERTE – Manifestation sauvage en cours contre le résultat de la motion de censure.

« MACRON DÉMISSION ! » pic.twitter.com/LJW5Qb17Qw

— Clément Lanot (@ClementLanot) March 20, 2023

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France has in recent weeks been shaken by a series of attacks on schoolchildren by their peers, in particularly the fatal beating earlier this month of Shemseddine, 15, outside Paris.

The far-right Rassemblement National (RN) party has accused Attal of not doing enough on security as the anti-immigration party soars ahead of the government coalition in polls for the June 9th election.

Speaking in Viry-Chatillon, the town where Shemseddine was killed, Attal condemned the “addiction of some of our adolescents to violence”, calling for “a real surge of authority… to curb violence”.

“There are twice as many adolescents involved in assault cases, four times more in drug trafficking, and seven times more in armed robberies than in the general population,” he said.

Measures will include expanding compulsory school attendance to all the days of the week from 8am to 6pm for children of collège age (11 to 15).

“In the day the place to be is at school, to work and to learn,” said Attal, who was also marking 100 days in office since being appointed in January by President Emmanuel Macron to turn round the government’s fortunes.

Parents needed to take more responsibility, said Attal, warning that particularly disruptive children would have sanctions marked on their final grades.

OPINION: No, France is not suffering an unprecedented wave of violence

Promoting an old-fashioned back-to-basics approach to school authority, he said “You break something – you repair it. You make a mess – you clear it up. And if you disobey – we teach you respect.”

Attal also floated the possibility of children in exceptional cases being denied the right to special treatment on account of their minority in legal cases.

Thus 16-year-olds could be forced to immediately appear in court after violations “like adults”, he said. In France, the age of majority is 18, in accordance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Macron and Attal face an uphill struggle to reverse the tide ahead of the European elections. Current polls point to the risk of a major debacle that would overshadow the rest of the president’s second mandate up to 2027.

A poll this week by Ifop-Fiducial showed the RN on 32.5 percent with the government coalition way behind on 18 percent.