France: Pension protests, no-confidence motions after decree

Fresh protests erupted in Paris on Friday evening, a day after President Emmanuel Macron and his government passed a contentious pension reform by decree, without a vote in the lower house of parliament, the National Assembly. 

Several thousand demonstrators gathered in the capital's Place de la Concorde, close to the Assembly building, facing up to a line of riot police, with some chanting "Macron, Resign!"

Clashes between authorities and protesters erupted later in the evening. Reuters TV broadcast images of police using tear gas to deal with the crowd disorder.

Earlier Friday, traffic, garbage collection and university campuses in the city were disrupted, as unions threatened open-ended strikes in response to the pension decree. 

Elsewhere in the country, striking sanitation workers blocked a waste collection plant that is home to Europe's largest incinerator to underline their determination.

A blockade at La Mede biorefinery in southern France prevented fuel deliveries from leaving, operator TotalEnergies said, with the potential to cause gasoline shortages.

A union official said earlier that a similar blockade of Total's Normandy refinery would begin his weekend. 

Local media reported that four out of five high-speed TGV trains would not run this weekend, nor more than half of regional rail services.

Leaders of the influential CGT union called on members to leave schools, factories, and other workplaces.

What sparked the unrest?

The French government had decided at short notice on Thursday afternoon to bypass the National Assembly and implement President Emmanuel Macron's most important reform project without a vote.

A special article in the French constitution allows for the measure. Parliament still can overrule it, but only by arranging a no-confidence vote in the government within 24 hours of the decree. 

The pension reform will, among other things, gradually increase the standard retirement age from 62 to 64. The government feared that the result in the lower house would be too close to predict.

Macron's government argues the changes are necessary to keep one of western Europe's most generous retirement systems solvent. He tried and failed to implement similar reforms during his first term, ultimately abandoning his flagship policy amid the outbreak of COVID. 

Hours after the move, several thousand people gathered in central Paris and other French cities. Several cars were torched and some 310 people were arrested, according to Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin.

No-confidence motions in National Assembly

French opposition lawmakers did file separate no-confidence motions against the government on Friday, the leader of an independent parliamentary group said.

"The vote on this motion will allow us to get out on top of a deep political crisis," said the head of the so-called Liot group Bertrand Pancher, whose motion was co-signed by members of the broad left-wing NUPES coalition.

The far-right National Rally (RN) filed a second motion, but that was expected to get less backing. RN lawmaker Laure Lavalette however said her party would vote for "all" no-confidence motions filed. "What counts is scuppering this unfair reform bill," she said.

The National Assembly is expected to vote on the motions next Monday.

But even though Macron lost his absolute majority in the lower house of parliament in last year's election, there was little chance either a motion of no-confidence would pass, unless a surprise alliance is formed by MPs from all opposition quarters, incorporating France's extreme left and extreme right — both powerful parliamentary factions.

The leaders of the conservative Les Republicains party have ruled out trying to topple the government; Macron had originally hoped to rely on their support to pass the reforms. 

If an absolute majority of MPs vote in favor, the reform is defeated and the government must resign. Then President Emmanuel Macron could either try to appoint a new prime minister or call new elections. But if there is no absolute majority for a motion of no-confidence, the pension reform will be approved.

The upper house, the Senate, had voted in favor of the reforms several times as France's government tried to barter a bill through the legislature.

mm, dh/msh (AFP, dpa, Reuters)