ASSESSMENTS

In France, Ongoing Pension Protests Underscore the Risk of Recurring Political Instability

Mar 24, 2023 | 15:54 GMT

Protesters gather on Place de la Bastille in Paris, France, on March 23, 2023, to attend a demonstration a week after the government pushed a pension reform through Parliament without a vote.

Protesters gather on Place de la Bastille in Paris, France, on March 23, 2023, to attend a demonstration a week after the government pushed a pension reform through Parliament without a vote.

(THOMAS SAMSON/AFP via Getty Images)

French President Emmanuel Macron's decision to ram his pension reform through the National Assembly has triggered a political crisis that will likely fuel a protracted protest movement. While this crisis could bring the country's policy agenda to a standstill, it may only be the first symptom of chronic political instability resulting from the reconfiguration of France's political scene. On March 20, French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne survived two no-confidence motions that opposition parties triggered after her government enacted a controversial pension reform without holding a vote in the National Assembly, France's lower house of Parliament. The reform aims to make France's pension system more sustainable amid an aging population by raising the retirement age from 62 to 64. Then on March 22, President Macron defended the constitutional legitimacy of his government's use of this constitutional bypass and outlined his ambition to reform employees' working conditions. Despite these attempts at shifting...

Keep Reading

Register to read three free articles

Proceed to sign up

Register Now

Already have an account?

Sign In