A decisive conversation to decide the fate of the pension reform. The president of the Republicans contacted, on Thursday, a close friend of Emmanuel Macron, to inform him of the voting intentions of the members of his party, statements that played in favor of a step in force by the Executive to adopt via the recourse to 49.3. .
According to information from BFMTV, Éric Ciotti informed this close friend of the President of the Republic that, according to his calculations, there would be 35 LR votes in favor of the pension reform, 30 votes against and around 6 abstentions.
Go vote, too risky
Going to the vote would therefore be risky for the Government, which instead needs about forty votes “in favor” of the Republicans to approve the reform. This information given by Éric Ciotti then changed mentalities.
Until the beginning of the afternoon, the bets were still not placed. Vote, not vote? The executive hesitates, procrastinates, as our journalists explain in the long “Red Line” format.
If on Wednesday night, the vast majority of the members of the first meeting organized around the president had advised going to the vote on the reform, with the exception of the president of the National Assembly Yaël Braun-Pivet, they are no longer just a few to defend the vote at the final meeting, Thursday at 2 pm
François Bayrou, Gabriel Attal, many of them have changed, and now they are betting on a strong passage so that the text sees the light of day.
“In this reform we have been in force from the beginning, so even if we go to the vote, in any case it will be voted with few votes (…) We will be criticized for having passed in force (…).) as much as going to 49, 3,” explains a heavyweight minister.
“I am not the one who risks his place or his seat”
It is then, after a round table of the participants, that Emmanuel Macron announces the use of 49.3.
“My political interest would have been to go to the vote. Among all of you, I am not the one risking your place or your seat. But I consider that the way things are, the financial and economic risks are too great,” Emmanuel declared. Macron during the final meeting.
If the information given by the boss of LR Éric Ciotti turned the majority to 49.3, Matignon had prepared it before the decision was official. Indeed, Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne had indicated that she would assume to be “a fuse” in case of approval of the text without a vote.
Initially reluctant to force the pass, the Prime Minister would have changed her mind in the morning, according to our information. And when this election to appeal to 49.3 was announced in the chamber of the National Assembly, the atmosphere turned electric, between shouts, chants, booing.
a risky bet
All week, Emmanuel Macron’s party had been hunting for votes and calculating to win the majority of votes for the text, but the scattered intentions of LR deputies made the ballot too risky. The Renaissance deputies then pointed out, in a press release, “the inconsistency and irresponsibility of the LR deputies.”
However, as expected, the Senate approved the pension reform during the second reading of the bill that same day, with 193 votes in favor, 114 against, and 38 abstentions.
Now it is the vote of the motions of censure presented by the Liot and Agrupación Nacional groups in the Assembly that the Government will have to face this Monday.
LR deputies expected by motions of no confidence
Motions of no confidence for which LR deputies are still expected. The president of the National Association, Jordan Bardella, for example, called on the LR on Friday to “have the courage to resist the pressure and the macronie” and encouraged them to vote. In exchange, the RN agrees not to present candidates against the LR deputies who will vote on the motion.
“LR deputies have never been for sale, neither yesterday, nor today, nor tomorrow,” however, the head of LR deputies, Olivier Marleix, responded to Jordan Bardella in a tweet.
Spontaneous rallies sprang up across the country on Thursday and Friday nights. This Saturday a new day of mobilization is organized in France, with many demonstrations planned in various cities.
Source: BFM TV
