In a situation where public opinion against democracy is growing day by day by enforcing pension reform that skipped a parliamentary vote, President Macron breaks silence and sets out to appease public sentiment.
On the 21st (local time), French 24th and other foreign media outlets put together, President Macron will have a live interview with French private broadcasters TF1 and France 2TV on the afternoon of the 22nd (local time) to help repair the wounds inflicted across France through pension reform. . On the 21st, President Macron is known to have discussed the future direction with senior government officials and lawmakers.
With the enforcement of pension reform, President Macron’s approval rating for state affairs has fallen to 28%, the lowest level since the yellow vest protests in 2018. The French public opinion research institute Ifop said the figure was down 4 percentage points from last month.
Public opposition is growing day by day. From the 16th, when the Macron government invoked Article 49(3) of the Constitution (a French constitution that allows the government to pass a bill without a vote if it is deemed urgent), unauthorized demonstrations nationwide have reached 1,200. Some took the form of violent protests. Some protesters staged a violent protest, setting up barricades and burning piles of garbage. Police said they had arrested nearly 300 protesters across France during the night of the 20th to 21st.
Unions in the public transportation, oil refinery, and environmental cleaning sectors also went on strike, and major unions announced a ninth strike and demonstration on the 23rd. The eight union-led strikes this year were relatively peaceful, but fears of violent protests are rising after the passage of the last pension reform bill and a no-confidence vote.
Meanwhile, Marine Le Pen, a member of the French far-right National Coalition (RN), criticized President Macron’s enforcement of pension reform, saying that it had driven France to the brink of a ‘social explosion’. At the same time, she pointed out that “the government is creating all the conditions for a social explosion.”
The pension reform law, which barely crossed the threshold of the National Assembly, leaves only the process of approval by the Constitutional Committee, equivalent to Korea’s Constitutional Court, and signature by the president. With the passage of the pension reform bill, the age at which pensions can be received upon retirement in France will be gradually raised from the current age of 62 to age 64 by 2030. The period for paying insurance premiums to receive 100% pension will also increase by one year from 42 years to 43 years from 2027.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.