During dinner at the Élysée on December 7, the head of state was determined to go all the way: he wants to postpone the legal retirement age to 65 years. But since then, he has found himself increasingly isolated along these lines.
The oppositions were the first to rise up against this project, both on the left and on the right. The meetings this Wednesday in Matignon do not reassure the executive. Elisabeth Borne spoke in particular to two parliamentarians who will play an important role during the upcoming debates.
On the Republican side, Olivier Marleix, president of the LR group in the Assembly, is still threatening to file a motion of no confidence if the government opts for 65 years. Which would have as a direct consequence, if voted for by the majority of deputies in the Assembly, the resignation of the government. If this scenario is still highly unlikely at the moment, Emmanuel Macron warned:
“If there is a vote of no confidence, I will immediately dissolve” the National Assembly, in fact he had threatened the president in private last September.
In the rest of the opposition, the Prime Minister also met with Bertrand Pancher, the president of the LIOT group in the Assembly. The 19 deputies of him and himself threaten to vote a motion of no confidence if Emmanuel Macron persists. It would be the first time that this group has been quite constructive vis-a-vis the executive since the start of the five-year term.
reluctant troops
As for the direct support of Emmanuel Macron, it is not easy to find an elected official behind the age of 65.
“Fewer and fewer deputies of the majority are convinced by the 65,” says one of them.
A bad sign for the Head of State who will not be able to count on the enthusiasm and determination of his troops during the debates in the chamber.
This weekend, it was François Bayrou who put the pressure on. in the columns of JDD, asked for more education and take the time. Behind the scenes, the MoDem boss advocates a scenario at “64 years”.
A tight-lipped prime minister
During the recent dinner at the Élysée, the Prime Minister was not very talkative.
“The airstrip is clearly 64 years old. And Elisabeth Borne is in favor of it,” says a minister.
This Wednesday morning, upon leaving Matignon, the head of the centrist senators, Hervé Marseille, maintains that the head of government was interested in a “mix of measures”, that is, a reduction to 64 years and an extension of the period of quotation.
What will Emmanuel Macron decide now? The reform will be presented on January 10 by its Prime Minister. Almost a month later than originally planned.
Source: BFM TV
