Paris:
President Emmanuel Macron firmly defended his widely unpopular pension reform on Monday, but said he regretted that no consensus had been found on the change.
Macron addressed France for the first time since the bill was signed and said he understood the “anger” of the French over the increase in the retirement age.
Macron signed the legislation into law early Saturday, just hours after the change to the banner to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 was upheld by the constitutional court, sparking allegations that he was smuggling the law in the middle of the night.
After three months of protests and strikes, the left and unions have vowed not to give in and warned of massive Labor Day protests on May 1.
Polls consistently show a majority of French people against the reform, which the government rammed through parliament using a controversial mechanism to prevent a vote.
Speaking from the Elysee Palace, Macron defended the reform as “necessary” and stressed that “doing nothing” was not a solution.
“Has this reform been accepted? Apparently not. And despite months of discussion, no consensus could be found, and I regret that.”
Noting the protests that have raged against the reform, he added: “Nobody, especially not me, can turn a deaf ear to this demand for social justice.”
“The answer cannot lie in rigidity or extremism,” the president said, adding that his “door will always be open” for talks with the unions.
Macron’s personal popularity ratings have eroded and some analysts suggest he has given far-right leader Marine Le Pen an edge on the long road to the 2027 election.
– ‘Listening is useless’ –
Trade unions have since rejected an invitation to talks at the Elysee.
As the president spoke, thousands gathered outside town halls across France, banging pans in an attempt to drown out the speech.
“He hasn’t listened to us for three months. We’re doing this to show that there’s no point in listening to him either,” said 57-year-old cinematographer Benedicte Gelgehier in Paris.
After the speech, dozens joined a spontaneous protest in the capital, burning rubbish containers and police firing tear gas canisters to disperse them, AFP correspondents said.
Opponents across the board said Macron’s speech had only heightened concerns about how the reform was being handled.
“He chose to turn his back on the French and ignore their suffering,” said far-right figurehead and former presidential candidate Marine Le Pen.
Far-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon said Macron was “totally out of touch with reality”.
CFDT union leader Laurent Berger added that it contained “nothing concrete” for the labor movement and said Macron had “not said a word” about easing tensions.
Possibly more troubling for the president, the head of the right-wing Republicans who supported the reform, Eric Ciotti, dismissed the speech as a “catalogue of pious wishes” and said Macron’s “method had clearly not changed”.
Macron said he had instructed his government under Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne to lead 100 days of action “in the service of France”.
– ‘Within stroke range’ –
The prime minister should prepare a roadmap in the coming days with the first results to be announced on France’s national holiday on July 14, Macron said.
He promised “major announcements” in May, including measures against juvenile delinquency and also “tightening controls on illegal immigration”.
Macron previously had lunch with Borne and then met with key figures from his party, including ultra-loyal rising stars tipped for promotions, such as Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu, 36, and Budget Minister Gabriel Attal, 34.
But no cabinet reshuffle is planned in the near future, several sources close to the presidency told AFP.
The president, often consumed with diplomacy, will also make at least one trip within France this week after criticism that he is not making contact with people.
“I want Macron to spend more time on the ground,” said a minister, who declined to be named. Even “within range to be beaten”.
The crisis also comes at a time of increasing challenges on the international scene for Macron, who was accused of a friendship with China during a visit to Beijing.
Macron, 45, came to power in 2017 promising reforms and a fresh new policy. But opponents accuse him of increasingly withdrawn and anti-democratic behavior.
“Emmanuel Macron is far from finished dealing with the social and political crisis, which he continues to dangerously fuel,” the newspaper Le Monde said in an editorial.
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