The French National Assembly did not vote on Thursday on the abolition of the pension reform, as planned by government opponents. Parliament President Yael Braun-Pivet had already declared the bill invalid on Wednesday evening, referring to Article 40 Article 1 of the Constitution.
Michaela Wiegel
Political correspondent based in Paris.
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Bills introduced directly by members of parliament are invalid if they entail high public costs. The abolition of the pension reform, which provides for a gradual increase in the minimum retirement age from 62 to 64 years by 2030, would cause additional costs of between 15 and 20 billion euros, according to government calculations.
The opponents of the reform did not admit defeat on Thursday. "They are afraid of the vote. You know that you do not have a majority either in the National Assembly or in the French people," said Marine Le Pen, the leader of the Rassemblement National (RN) parliamentary group.
Liberal MP Charles de Courson accused the President of Parliament of making a "serious political mistake". Courson of the alliance of the splinter parties Liot had taken the initiative for the legislative push for abolition. The parliament will be further weakened, criticized Courson. "This can only lead to disinterest in democratic institutions, anger and violence," he said.
The protest movement has subsided since the law was published in the Official Gazette. "It doesn't look good," admitted the outgoing president of the CFDT union, Laurent Berger. The demonstrations are now probably over. However, they want to continue the resistance "in a different way". "The game is over," said the Republican leader in the Senate, Bruno Retailleau.
The poll numbers for President Emmanuel Macron have risen slightly again. During his visits to Mont-Saint-Michel and the landing beaches in Normandy, he was greeted with cheers by onlookers, many eager to take selfies with him. While bathing in the crowd, some occasionally expressed criticism of the reform, but several also congratulated him for his perseverance. The law on raising the retirement age is due to enter into force on 1 September.