Macron Breaks Silence In Bid To Defuse Pensions Crisis
Faizan Hashmi Published March 22, 2023 | 03:50 PM
Paris, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Mar, 2023 ) :French President Emmanuel Macron is to make Wednesday his first public comments on the crisis sparked by his government forcing through a pensions overhaul, which has sparked violent protests and questions over his ability to bring about further change.
Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, acting on the president's instructions, last Thursday invoked an article in the constitution that adopted the contentious reform without a parliamentary vote.
The government Monday narrowly survived a no-confidence motion but the uproar has descended into the biggest domestic crisis of the second term for Macron, first elected in 2017 with pledges to radically reform France.
Another day of national strikes and protests against the pension changes, in particular pushing back the minimum retirement age to 64 from 62, is planned for Thursday and garbage continues to pile up in the streets of Paris due to stoppages by refuse collectors.
The tensions have also raised questions over the ability of France to host King Charles III of the UK when he arrives Sunday for the first foreign state visit of his reign.
There were new clashes between protesters and security forces in central Paris late on Tuesday, in a repeat of scenes over the last days that have seen hundreds arrested and accusations of heavy-handed tactics by security forces.
Blockades at oil refineries continue, potentially creating severe fuel shortages. There were clashes Tuesday at Fos-sur-Mer outside Marseille as authorities sought to force refinery workers back to work.
- 'The crowd has no legitimacy' - Macron, who made raising the retirement age a cornerstone of his re-election campaign last year, has so far refused publicly to enter the fray and made no comment on the uproar other than in closed-door meetings.
That will change later Wednesday when the president gives a live television interview to TF1 and France 2 television channels on the lunchtime news at 1200 GMT.
Before breaking his silence, Macron spent most of Tuesday talking to ministers, advisors and other political heavyweights about the way forward but ruled out any radical concession.
There will be no new prime minister to replace Borne, no dissolution of the lower-house National Assembly and no referendum on the pensions reform, people involved in the discussions told AFP.
Borne invoked article 49.
3 after failing to muster a parliamentary majority for the reform in the Assembly, a consequence of Macron's ruling party losing its overall majority in the 2022 legislative elections.
Macron also called on his troops to provide ideas in the "next two to three weeks" aimed at "a change in method and a new reform agenda", one participant said, requesting anonymity.
But in a warning to protesters, he added: "The crowd, whatever form it takes, has no legitimacy in the face of the people who express themselves through their elected representatives" in parliament.
Spontaneous protests by young people -- coordinated in encrypted messaging services -- have seen nightly clashes with police since last week.
Some protesters burned trash bins, bikes and other objects, while others blocked traffic in parts of the country.
Forty-six people were arrested overnight in the latest clashes around Place de la Republique in Paris, while police used tear gas to disperse protests in other cities including Rennes and Nantes.
"Consciously, the government is creating all the conditions for a social explosion, and it was foreseeable for months, as if they were looking for that," the leader of the far-right MPs in parliament, Marine Le Pen, told AFP in an interview Tuesday.
Lawyers, magistrates and some politicians accused police officers of having made arbitrary arrests in an attempt to stifle the anti-government protests.
They cited as proof the fact that most of the detained demonstrators were released after a few hours, without any charges.
Paris police chief Laurent Nunez rejected the allegations, telling BFM television: "There are no unjustified arrests." A survey on Sunday showed Macron's personal approval rating at just 28 percent, its lowest level since the height of the anti-government "Yellow Vest" protest movement in 2018-2019.
Prominent Green MP Sandrine Rousseau said the coming visit by King Charles should be cancelled, telling BFM it was "unbelievable" that the president would dine with the monarch at the Versailles Palace outside Paris "while the people are protesting in the streets".
In an interview with Le Figaro, Macron's influential former prime minister Edouard Philippe advised the president to "broaden" his political base with "a coalition" that includes representatives of the opposition on the traditional right and left.
Related Topics
Recent Stories
PSX witnesses positive trend today
PM Shehbaz meets CJP Isa to address IHC judges’ concerns
Pakistan vows to bring to justice perpetrators, abettors of Bisham terrorist att ..
May 9 riots: SC allows conditionally to military courts to deliver reserved verd ..
Interior Minister arrives in Peshawar after Shangla suicide attack
OPPO Reno 11 F 5G: Setting New Records as Pakistan's Most Beloved Smartphone Lin ..
PCB dismisses FICA's claims of unpaid dues in PSL
Currency Rate In Pakistan - Dollar, Euro, Pound, Riyal Rates On 28 March 2024
Today Gold Rate in Pakistan 28 March 2024
Niger says US to submit plan to 'disengage' troops
Venezuelan opposition registers unknown poll contender after obstacles
Van Aert breaks collarbone, ribs in Flanders fall
More Stories From Miscellaneous
-
Shaheed Jalil Andrabi remembered on his martyrdom anniversary
24 hours ago -
Architectural grandeur of Mohabat Khan Mosque attracts visitors, archeology lovers
1 day ago -
Besant Hall cultural centre to hold programme in memory Pir Hassam din Rashdi
3 days ago -
USA beats Mexico 2-0 for CONCACAF Nations League title
3 days ago -
World urged to intervene for peace in Kashmir
4 days ago -
Undeterred resolve – only way to end economic woes
4 days ago
-
Organic Food: A booming trend in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
4 days ago -
From Soil to Harvest: Use of modern technology vital for agricultural renaissance
4 days ago -
Spring season offers glimpse into GB's natural beauty, cultural heritage
4 days ago -
Nation to mark decades’ long journey of resilience through annals of history
6 days ago -
23rd March: A historic day reminds Muslims’ heroic struggle for Pakistan
6 days ago -
Measures urged to recharge depleting water table: Experts
6 days ago