In 2018, when the intense protests of the “Yellow Vests” took place in France, the popularity of the president Emmanuel Macron crashed down: 23% at the strongest point of the crisis. Today its acceptance is also plummeting, registering 28% yesterdaythe lowest figure in almost five years, according to a survey conducted by France’s Institute of Opinion and Marketing Studies.
And it is that, since Thursday, March 16, when the president decided to skip the vote in Parliament and approve by decree the controversial pension reform -which Delays retirement age from 62 to 64– the whole country came upon him. Demonstrations in the street have become radicalized, the most important refinery in France has suspended its oil shipments, there are 10,000 tons of garbage accumulated in Paris and the Police add almost 600 detainees in three days.
But the discontent will also be reflected today in the National Assembly where two motions of censure presented by the far-right party of Marine LePen, National Regrouping, and the centrist LIOT group that brings together independent deputies and overseas territories. Neither of them has a concrete chance of prospering, but at least the LIOT motion generates less hives than the extremist one. Marine LePen. In fact, there are already several opposition groups that have declared themselves in favor and have promised to contribute their votes: the environmentalists, the French Communist Party, the Socialist Party, the independent deputies and the extreme left of La Francia Insumisa, led by Jean-Luc Mélenchon. All of them will get on the boat of today’s vote of no confidence.
However, mathematically it will not be enough. Even if all the opposition deputies voted in favor of the motion of no confidence, the total number of votes it would be 257that is, thirty votes less than what is required for its approval.
Where to go for more votes? The only bench that remains is the traditional right, represented by the Los Republicanos (LR) party, founded by Nicolás Sarkozy. But the president of the group, Eric Ciotti, has said it loud and clear: “We are not going to add chaos to chaos, we will not vote on any motion of no confidence.” Neither the one presented by Le Pen, nor the one by LIOT or any other that may come.
In the midst of the chaos, Ciotti suffered firsthand the consequences of those words: Its offices in Nice were attacked this Saturday by detractors of the reform who broke windows and doors with the force of stones and left graffiti with the message: “The motion or the cobblestone”making reference to the time of May of ’68, when the students threw granite bricks as projectiles against the Police.
The vice-president of the party, Agnes Evrenhas also been the target of death threats on his social networks that evoke the guillotine: “You and the imbecile Ciotti: let your heads fall on Plaza La Concordia,” say the messages he receives on Twitter.
For his part, Manuel Bompard, coordinator of La Francia Insumisa, has also decided to apply pressure by directly calling on members of Los Republicanos to vote for the motion of no confidence: “Think what you think of this reform, what we are asking you is: ”Do you agree with this forced approval?””. The big question now is whether the right can change its mind and put its 61 deputies in favor of the motion. However, there is nothing to indicate that this could happen today.
For now, what is doing the most damage to Macron is the street: the union of unions has called a great general strike this thursday march 23, where an almost total stoppage of transport is expected, while spontaneous protests multiply throughout France and are taking new forms. Thousands of French continue to express their discontent through all channels. The only one who keeps a sepulchral silence is the president Emmanuel Macron.
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