While several deputies from the presidential party are expressing doubts about the government’s pension reform project, the Prime Minister has called for unity.
Elisabeth Borne urged the parliamentarians of the majority on Tuesday evening to “keep the team spirit alive” and to remain “united”, while some of them expressed dissonance on the highly contested project to reform the retreats.
“Each and everyone, in our task, in our responsibilities, let this team spirit live”, enjoined the Prime Minister in her wishes to the deputies, senators and MEPs of the presidential Renaissance party and the allied parties Horizons and MoDem, according to attendees.
She had warned these same elected officials in September of the “heavy weather” to come. “Today, faced with this strong wind, I believe it is more necessary than ever to be true to ourselves,” she said, according to the same source.
“Renaissance, MoDem, Horizons, as well as all those who want to advance our country with us, we face together and we will succeed together, because we will remain united”, insisted Elisabeth Borne.
Convince to push through the reform
While the executive still wishes to convince of the merits of its project, despite the challenge, “we will need each and everyone in the Assembly, in the Senate, in the European Parliament. We will need you on the sets, in the PQR (regional daily press, editor’s note), in the field,” she said.
After the day of demonstrations on Thursday, which brought together between 1 and 2 million people, the head of government invited them to remain “attentive to what the French are telling us” and “enrich the text in the parliamentary debate”.
“But already we can and we must defend it with conviction”, she added, while the executive does not intend at this stage to reconsider the most contested measure of postponing the age. retirement age from 62 to 64 years old.
“This is a project for which we campaigned. A project that has been concerted and improved, thanks in particular to you. This project is necessary, but that’s not all. Let’s not be afraid to say it: this project is right. It brings social progress”, argued Elisabeth Borne.
MP and former Renaissance minister Barbara Pompili said on Tuesday that “we could not make a reform against the population”, after having reiterated, like two other Macronist deputies, that she could not vote “as it is” a text “not balanced enough”.
The boss of the MoDem François Bayrou for his part called for “improvements” to the text.
