Macron to address government plan, protests after surviving no-confidence vote on pension reform
Protests broke out after French president tried to push the legislation through without a parliamentary vote
Protesters opposing Macron's plan to push through pension changes without a parliamentary vote throw a cut-out of the president on a fire while demanding his resignation. (CREDIT: Reuters)
French President Emmanuel Macron is set to address his nation Wednesday after the government survived two no-confidence votes Monday over an unpopular pension reform that sparked protests across France.
Macron will be interviewed on TF1 and France 2 TV stations Wednesday to "outline what happens now" that the legislation is considered adopted, government spokesman Oliver Veran said according to Reuters. The bill still faces a review by the Constitutional Council before it can be formally signed into law.
The pensions bill pushed by Macron would raise the retirement age from 62 to 64. The no-confidence motion was filed by a small centrist group and supported by a leftist coalition, receiving 278 votes in the National Assembly and ultimately falling short of the required 287 votes needed to pass. Another motion from the far-right party only secured 94 votes.
Macron is already set to hold talks with Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne Tuesday along with heads of both houses of parliament and lawmakers amid the protests unfolding over the last several days.
MACRON’S GOVERNMENT FACES VOTE OF NO CONFIDENCE AFTER PUSHING UP RETIREMENT AGE
Protests broke out last week after Macron pushed the new legislation through without a parliamentary vote, with Macron relying on Article 49.3 of the constitution to allow such a move. The push proved wildly unpopular among the public, with protesters and strikers taking to the streets.
French President Emmanuel Macron is set to address the nation Wednesday after the government survived two no-confidence votes Monday on an unpopular pension reform that sparked protests across France. (Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu Agency/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Protests have remained largely peaceful; however, police did clash with protestors Friday night, with a total of 61 people arrested after lighting a fire near the national assembly. Demonstrators were heard chanting "Macron, resign!" during the confrontation with police.
RIOTS ERUPT IN FRANCE OVER RETIREMENT AGE INCREASE
On Saturday, Paris police banned gatherings near important government sites in the city in an attempt to quell the protests.
A man in costume walks by rubbish bins set alight by carnival goers after riot police dispersed Marseille's Carnaval de la Plaine in Marseille, France, Sunday, March 19, 2023. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole / AP Newsroom)
"Due to serious risks of disturbances to public order and security … any gathering at Place de la Concorde and its surroundings as well as in the area of the Avenue des Champs-Elysées is prohibited," the police said, according to an AFP report.
OVER 1 MILLION FRENCH WORKERS STRIKE AGAINST EFFORTS TO RAISE RETIREMENT AGE
Demonstrators also gathered in other cities such as Bordeaux and Marseille. Over 300 people nationwide had been arrested as of Saturday, with 258 of them in the area around the national assembly over recent days.
A man walks past an uncollected garbage pile next to the cafe "The President" in Paris, Tuesday, March 21, 2023. The bill pushed through by President Emmanuel Macron without lawmakers' approval still faces a review by the Constitutional Council befor … (AP Photo/Michel Euler / AP Images)
The protests have bled into major industries, including refineries, trash collection, and railways, according to The Guardian. Sanitation workers in Paris started off their 16th day of striking Tuesday, as garbage continued to pile up on city streets.
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Fox News' Peter Aitken and the Associated Press contributed to this report.