There’s an old saying about how you can only push the people just so far before they will take matters into their own hands. French President Emmanuel Macron appears to be learning that lesson this week, albeit a bit after the fact. Last week, the normal legislative process in France broke down. After weeks of lobbying to raise the retirement age, Macron invoked a controversial constitutional tool known as article 49.3, allowing him to bypass the legislature and simply raise the age via executive fiat. The response was immediate and aggressive, both from the opposition party and protesters who quickly filled the streets. Labor unions went on strike, including the trash collectors, leading the streets of Paris to be filled with refuse. Calls rang out for Macron to resign, which he promptly ignored. And the National Assembly called for a vote of no confidence. Macron himself wouldn’t have been tossed out of office, but his Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne and her government could have been forced to resign, leaving Macron standing alone. The first of two votes was held this afternoon, and the government survived by an extremely thin margin of nine votes. The second vote is expected to draw less support, so a bullet has been dodged. And yet the President of France currently appears to be stuck between a rock and a hard place. (Politico)Read More
Emmanuel Macron’s government may be teetering
