France - March 2023

The French government used a constitutional clause to bypass the National Assembly, the lower house of France’s legislature, to push through unpopular pension reforms which have stoked social unrest, protests and strikes since they were first proposed in January 2023. The constitutional clause allowed the passage of the bill without a vote, unless opposition parties bring down the government with a no-confidence motion. The clause has already been invoked several times during this parliamentary session, as the ruling Renaissance party has struggled to win backing. The bill had already passed in the upper chamber. The opposition claims the manoeuvre weakens the bill’s legitimacy and exposes President Emmanuel Macron to severe political headwinds. A group of centrist opposition MPs tabled a vote of no-confidence against the government, followed by a second motion put forward by the far-right National Rally party, but both were voted down as opposition parties failed to unite effectively.

Sources: The New York Times, Financial Times (1), Financial Times (2), Foreign Policy, Le Monde