After 3 months of serious social tensions over the pension reform, which raises the retirement age from 62 to 64, eyes turned today towards the Constitutional Council, which in the late afternoon will announce its decision on the law that the government has had approved by the Parliament with the "short cut" of trust.
After yesterday's 12th day of mobilization, with the unions in the square united but clearly less numerous marches, the decision of nine "wise men" could represent a turning point.
The possible scenarios are those of total approval, which constitutionalists deem unlikely given the accelerated procedure to which the government has resorted.
In this case, the president would promulgate the law in the coming weeks for an entry into force in the summer.
The trade unions have already announced that their battle in the square - in this case - will not stop.
Then there is the hypothesis of a total rejection of the reform law, defined by members of the government as "the catastrophe scenario", the one for which the country would have been thrown into turmoil for months without any reason.
In the case, considered more probable, of not validating only some parts of the law, or a part of the procedure used, the government would be called upon to re-propose the reform in the correct way.
Also this afternoon, the Constitutional Council will announce its decision on the request for a "shared referendum" on the pension reform, requested by 250 parliamentarians.
If the Wise Men give the green light, the opposition will have 9 months to collect 4.8 million signatures.
Parliament would then have a further 6 months to examine the proposed text: if it did not approve it, it would go directly to popular consultation.