PM Borne-A Majority Exists In Parliament For Pension Reform

Speaking in the lower house of the French parliament, the National Assembly, Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne has stated her belief that a majority of votes exists in the chamber to pass President Emmanuel Macron's pension reform bill. Adds that 'MPs will be offered an opportunity to have their say on the bill'.

• The legislation passed the centre-right leaning Senate over the weekend, but the lack of a majority for Macron's centrist Renaissance in the National Assembly meant there is the prospect of a defeat. Centre-right Les Republicains (LR) would be the opposition party most likely to back the legislation.
• Speaking to the legislature Borne has attempted to draw divisions between supporting the reforms and supporting the gov't, saying that they are two separate things.
• Should the right not back the reforms and the gov't find itself short of a majority, it could push through the reforms using Article 49.3 of the French Constitution. This would result in a no confidence vote taking place in the National Assembly, raising the risk that the gov't falls (although LR previously stated that it would not bring the gov't down).
• The proposed pension reforms, with an increase in the pension age from 62 to 64 as the most controversial aspect, have seen major protests take place across the country and widespread industrial action.

Source: National Assembly, MNI