Use of 49.3: left and right file motions of censure against the government

The reactions of the opposition were not long in coming. And it was the Republicans deputies who first drew the constitutional response at their disposal. This Saturday evening, barely an hour after the announcement of Edouard Philippe to use 49.3 to pass the pension reform, the elected officials announced that they had tabled a motion of censure against his government. In the process, in a separate step, part of the left did the same.

"We refused any hint of joint motion" with the left, which should table its own motion within a few hours, "had previously specified the leader of the first opposition group, Damien Abad.

"New evidence of weakness"

Already in the hemicycle, the Prime Minister's announcement had been greeted by hoots from the opposition, from right to left. Several elected officials The Republicans had denounced "brutal" methods, like the Lot deputy Aurélien Pradié. For his part, Eric Woerth had clarified in front of BFM cameras that there was "no chance of a common censure motion", with the left.

Pensions / passage in force: Éric Woerth declares "that there is no chance of motion of common censure" with the left pic.twitter.com/8OE9ugxwlo

“We do not have the same vision at all with regard to the pension system as with many things. There is not an opposition but oppositions. Oppositions which were expressed in very different ways in the hemicycle, "he added.

"The government will therefore use 49.3 to pass an irresponsible pension reform. This use of 49.3 is further proof of weakness on the part of the Prime Minister, ”said the president of the Republicans Christian Jacob.

A motion expected on the left too

The left could in turn table a censure motion against the government if it managed to obtain 58 signatures in less than 24 hours. At the end of the afternoon, the elected LFI of the Somme, François Ruffin denounced the first on BFMTV a “loose” resort to 49.3 with tremolo in his voice. "They botched this reform, they wanted to set up a false emergency to adopt this reform".

According to François Ruffin, "there was no urgency to push through the reform" of pensions pic.twitter.com/XYsQDPY8m4

For his part, Jean-Luc Mélenchon condemned the “extraordinary violence of these procedures”, adding that he was preparing the text of a motion of censure with André Chassaigne, president of the communist group in the Assembly and several elected socialists.

In passing, the president of the rebellious France group denounced the “unfair nature of this process”. “Until Sunday evening, we will run behind each other to get our signatures. We must agree on a text. Everything was done to brutalize and try not to table a motion of censure. You're wasting your breath. Should we spend the night there, we are preparing this motion of censure, "he insisted.

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The former presidential candidate has also indicated that in the absence of a motion of censure on the left, he would vote in favor of that of the right.

"The urgency was not on this file"

Still on the left, the elected PS Olivier Faure castigated the timing of this use of 49.3, in the midst of a coronavirus epidemic. “The government has chosen to authorize the use of 49.3 during the council of ministers responsible for containing the coronavirus epidemic. Everyone will appreciate ”.

The government chose to authorize the use of 49-3 during the council of ministers responsible for containing the epidemic of # COVID19. Everyone will appreciate. #retraites 👇

Same remark from the secretary general of Force Ouvrière, Yves Veyrier who condemned "the incomprehensible and unacceptable attitude" of the government, adding that "the urgency was not on this issue".

"(...) The government's use of 49-3 is a democratic scandal combined with a social disaster. No Frenchman knows what his retirement will be, but everyone understood that he would receive less, by working more, and that the inequalities linked in particular to hardship and precariousness would be increased, "said the mayor of PS de Lille, Martine Aubry.

Le Pen quips: "A 49.3 on Saturday evening ..."

Finally, on the other side of the political spectrum, the president of the National Rally Marine Le Pen judged that "the government's cynicism has [got] the upper hand".

"A 49.3 on Saturday evening, knowing that the opposition at 24 hours to file a motion of censure is completely incorrect."

In parallel, about thirty yellow vests demonstrated Saturday at the beginning of the afternoon before the National Assembly, demanding in particular "more purchasing power", a "reduction in taxes" and "an increase in wages and pensions ”. Police carried out verbalizations of demonstrators, as shown by several videos posted on social networks.