Alexandre Chauveau, edited by Gauthier Delomez with AFP 7:53 p.m., March 14, 2023
On the benches of the National Assembly, the deputies Les Républicains are seduced on both sides, by the government and the opposition, to vote or not the pension reform on Thursday.
According to the president of the group in the hemicycle, Olivier Marleix, they would be between 15 and 20 to wonder about their vote, which could be decisive for the majority.
"Dear colleagues from the right, from the center, (...) from everywhere, I appeal to your responsibility: vote not for a camp, but in your soul and conscience, vote as best you can for France!", Launched the rebellious deputy François Ruffin this Tuesday in the National Assembly about the pension reform.
A call straight to the Republicans, who have the keys to whether or not the bill is adopted by Thursday.
But LR is also widely coveted by the government, which still hopes to convince the hesitant deputies.
>> READ ALSO
- Pension reform: will the Republicans align themselves with their president Eric Ciotti?
In reality, they are the ones who will sway the vote, if there is a vote, one way or the other.
The majority has 250 deputies, some of whom could abstain or vote against.
The executive therefore needs at least forty LR deputies to reach the necessary 289 votes.
Between 15 and 20 LR deputies still undecided, according to Marleix
However, at this stage, part of the right is still hesitating.
“I heard, from a deputy hostile to the reform within the group, say that they (the LR deputies) were undoubtedly between 15 to 20 on this line,” informed Olivier Marleix, the chairman of the group at the Assembly.
"I think it may be, roughly, of this order, with people who are still thinking between the vote against, abstention and for, and who will wait to know what text comes out of the CMP (mixed joint committee, editor's note)", he added, stressing however that "very clearly, there is a clear majority within our group to vote for the reform".
The final version of the bill is expected this Wednesday afternoon, in full eighth day of mobilization in the street.
The compromise that will then be found should help the undecided to decide, even if several LR deputies secretly hope that 49.3 will be activated so as not to have to choose.
>> Find Europe 1 Soir in replay and podcast here
Nevertheless, if the government decided not to resort to the vote, the right-wing party would not sign any motion of censure coming from other parties
.
According to Olivier Marleix,
those
who would do so would have "a vocation to sit with Liot (the group Libertés, independents, overseas territories and territories) or with the ecologists".