Difficult after-sales service. On the eve of a decisive day with the debate on motions of censure, ministers rise to the niche to defend the unpopular pension reform and the use of 49.3, without appeasing the anger of opponents, who have been demonstrating for several days.

"I think there will be no majority to bring down the government," Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire told Le Parisien on Sunday. "But it will be a moment of truth. Is pension reform worth the fall of the government and political disorder? The answer is clearly 'no'," according to the minister, a government heavyweight. Let everyone take responsibility! ».

Emmanuel Marcon's popularity has plummeted

According to the Minister of Labour, Olivier Dussopt, who has been carrying this reform for months, "of course, a motion of censure can always be adopted" in the National Assembly. "But for that to happen, it would have to bring together a coalition of 'against', 'anti', to obtain a very heterogeneous majority without a common political line." The "first objective" of the government "is to carry out this reform to save our pension system" and "we hold it," he told the Journal du Dimanche.

According to the monthly barometer of Ifop published by the JDD, the popularity of Emmanuel Macron's President of the Republic collapsed in March, to 28%, the lowest since the end of the crisis of the "yellow vests" in 2019. A survey conducted before the use of 49.3.

Concorde banned from gatherings

After several days of mobilization and demonstrations, at the call of the inter-union gathering all the major organizations, the use of Article 49.3 of the Constitution by Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, Thursday, has set fire to the powder.

Since then, organized or spontaneous gatherings have taken place throughout the territory, calmly or with excesses. The Place de la Concorde in Paris, located near the National Assembly and the Elysee, is now closed to gatherings, after clashes Friday night on this place that has become a rallying point for opponents of the reform. Saturday evening, a rally in the south of Paris, at the call of the CGT Ile-de-France, turned into a procession, before excesses, various destructions and clashes with the police.

Ciotti's permanence stoned

In Lyon, the evening turned into a game of cat and mouse, between young demonstrators and police, with 17 arrests, but without the violence observed Friday night in this city. In total, the police made 169 arrests in France Saturday, including 122 in Paris, according to the Ministry of the Interior.



The president of the Republicans Eric Ciotti reported on Twitter that his parliamentary office in Nice had been stoned in the night from Saturday to Sunday, to, according to him, "pressure" so that he votes Monday the motion of censure. In favor of this reform, he has already warned that his party would not vote "any" of the motions, so as not to "add chaos to chaos". But a handful of MPs from his camp announced that they would vote for at least the transpartisan motion presented by the independent group Liot (Libertés, Indépendants Outre-mer et Territoires).

Two motions of censure

The two motions tabled, by Liot and by elected representatives of the National Rally (RN), will be debated and put to the vote of the National Assembly Monday from 16 pm.

The Liot motion, co-signed by elected representatives of the Nupes, is more likely to be voted by right-wing deputies unfavorable to the pension reform than that of the RN. But the bar of the absolute majority to bring down the government seems difficult to achieve.

  • Pension reform 2023
  • Government