PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday (Mar 22) defiantly vowed to push through a controversial pensions reform, saying he was prepared to accept unpopularity in the face of sometimes violent protests.
Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, acting on the president’s instructions, last Thursday invoked an article in the constitution that adopted the contentious reform without a parliamentary vote.
The government on Monday narrowly survived a no-confidence motion but the uproar has descended into the biggest domestic crisis of the second term for Macron, first elected in 2017 with pledges to radically reform France.
Another day of national strikes and protests against the pension changes, in particular pushing back the minimum retirement age from 62 to 64, is planned for Thursday. In Paris, garbage continues to pile up in the streets due to stoppages by refuse collectors.
The tensions have also raised questions over the ability of France to host King Charles III of the UK when he arrives Sunday for the first foreign state visit of his reign.
While France’s Constitutional Court still needs to give its last word on the reform, Macron told TF1 and France 2 that the changes needed to “come into force by the end of the year”.
“The longer we wait, the more it (the deficit) will deteriorate. This reform is necessary, it does not make me happy. I would have preferred not to do it,” he added.
Macron, who is barred by the constitution from seeking a third consecutive term, said he was prepared to take the heat over the reform.
“Given a choice between opinion polls in the short term and the general interest of the country, I choose the general interest of the country,” Macron said.
“If it is necessary to accept unpopularity today, I will accept it,” he added, while acknowledging he had “not succeeded in convincing” the country over the reform.
A survey on Sunday showed Macron’s personal approval rating at just 28 per cent, its lowest level since the height of the anti-government “Yellow Vest” protest movement in 2018 and 2019.
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