French President Emmanuel Macron is due to address his nation Wednesday after the government survived two no-confidence votes Monday over an unpopular pension reform that sparked protests across France.
Macron will be interviewed Wednesday on TF 1 and France 2 TV stations to outline what happens now that the legislation is considered adopted, according to Oliver Veran, government spokesman. The bill still needs a review by the Constitutional Council before it can be signed into law.
The retirement age would be raised from 62 to 64 according to the pensions bill pushed by Macron. The no-confidence motion, filed by a small centrist group, was supported by a leftist coalition and received 278 votes in the National Assembly, but fell short of the 287 votes needed to pass. 94 votes were secured by a motion from the far-right party.
Macron is already set to hold talks with Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne Tuesday along with heads of both houses of parliament and lawmakers amid the protests over the last several days.
Last week, MACRON Protests broke out after Macron pushed the new legislation through without a parliamentary vote, with Macron relying on Article 49.3 of the constitution to allow such a move. The push was wildly unpopular among the public, with protesters and strikers taking to the streets.
The protests have remained peaceful, but police clashed with protestors on Friday night, with a total of 61 people arrested after lighting a fire near the national assembly. Demonstrators were heard chanting Macron, resign! During the confrontation with police.
On Saturday, Paris police banned gatherings near important government sites in the city in an attempt to quell the protests.
According to an AFP report, the police said that any gathering at Place de la Concorde and its surroundings, as well as in the area of Avenue des Champs-Elys es, is prohibited due to serious disturbances to public order and security.
Demonstrators also gathered in other cities such as Bordeaux and Marseille. More than 300 people were arrested on Saturday, with 258 of them in the area around the national assembly over the past few days.
The protests have bled into major industries, including refineries, trash collection, and railways, according to The Guardian. Sanitation workers in Paris started their 16th day of strike Tuesday, as garbage continued to accumulate on city streets.