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Macron Forces Through His Pension Reform. But at What Cost?

Mar 16, 2023 | 17:59 GMT

A protestor holds a placard that reads ''Empty Fridge Equals Violence of Dispair'' near a pile of burning trash during a demonstration in Paris, France, against the government's proposed pension reform on March 11, 2023.

A protestor holds a placard that reads ''Empty Fridge Equals Violence of Dispair'' near a pile of burning trash during a demonstration in Paris, France, against the government's proposed pension reform on March 11, 2023.

(CHRISTOPHE ARCHAMBAULT/AFP via Getty Images)

The French government's decision to pass its controversial pension reform without a vote in the National Assembly will limit Paris' ability to implement future reforms and maintain a significant risk of protests and the possibility of an early legislative election. On March 16, the French government announced it would pass a controversial pension reform using article 49.3 of the French constitution, which allows it to adopt legislation without a vote in the National Assembly. The government made this decision after weeks of speculation over whether President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Elizabeth Borne had enough support in the legislature to pass the reform, given that their centrist Renaissance (RE) party and its allies do not control a majority in the lower chamber. While the leaders of the conservative The Republicans (LR) party had officially vowed to support the reform, many of its lawmakers in the National Assembly were skeptical about...

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