Fiery protests have broken out on the streets of Paris - as President Emmanuel Macron uses a special constitutional power to raise the retirement age. DETAILS: Brett_McLeod 9News
has imposed a highly unpopular bill raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 by shunning parliament and invoking a special constitutional power.
Then, as Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne tried to formally announce the decision at the National Assembly, leftist members broke into the French national anthem, delaying her speech. The speaker had to briefly suspend the session to restore order. "In a few days, I have no doubts ... there will be one or several no-confidence motions. There will actually be a proper vote and therefore the parliamentary democracy will have the last say," she added.
Others called it a "denial of democracy" that signals Macron's lack of legitimacy. One union leader called it "institutional violence" and called for more strikes and protests. To be adopted, a no-confidence motion needs to be approved by at least half the seats at the lower house — that is 287 now. In such case, which would be a first since 1962, the government would have to resign.Earlier Thursday, the Senate adopted the bill in a 193-114 vote, a tally that was largely expected since the conservative majority of the upper house of parliament favours raising the retirement age.
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