La France insoumise (LFI) will submit a bill to repeal the pension reform. “We have the majority” to do so, declared the deputy of Val-de-Marne, Mathilde Panot.
La France Insoumise will submit a bill “to repeal the pension reform at 64 years old”. An announcement made by the president of the LFI deputies in the National Assembly, Mathilde Panot, this Tuesday, July 23, 2024. “When we submit it to the National Assembly, everyone will take their responsibilities to know whether they want, yes or no, to bring down a government on the question of the repeal of retirement at 64 years old” she indicated on France Inter.
“Forcibly imposed” by 49.3 according to the Val-de-Marne MP, the pension reform had already undergone several attempts at repeal, notably by the Liot group (supported by LFI). An attempt rejected by the office of the National Assembly, citing an increase in the public burden. “We are activists of conviction and we will maintain (…) the program to which we are committed” hammered Mathilde Panot this Tuesday.This is why it was so important to obtain the majority in the office of the Assembly: to allow the admissibility of this proposed law” rejoices the rebellious deputy of Essonne, Antoine Léaument sur X.
Since Tuesday, LFI can also count on the support of the National Rally. RN MP Laurent Jacobelli indicated on BFMTV that the party will vote for the Insoumis bill. With the support of the Le Pen party (126 MPs), the New Popular Front (193 MPs), of which LFI is a member, could reach an absolute majority of circumstance for the vote on the text. As a reminder, the absolute majority is 289 MPs, with these two political forces, 319 elected officials could position themselves in favor of the repeal. Which would allow, in theory, the text to be voted on in the National Assembly. In 2023, the Liot/Les Républicains group did not support the reform. Elected officials who could also support the LFI bill: “with right-wing MPs, Liot MPs, the 193 MPs of the New Popular Front, we have the majority to repeal this pension reform” Mathilde Panot has already stated.
A relatively long legislative process
In fact, the admissibility of this bill tabled by LFI is quite feasible without a left-wing government. On the other hand, the legislative path of such a text, up to a potential promulgation, is relatively long. First of all, it is important to clearly understand the composition of a bill. It is a document divided into three parts. A title, an explanatory statement and finally, a system (the part written in different articles). Good to know, a parliamentarian can withdraw a bill that he has tabled before its adoption at first reading.
From now on, the submission of a bill follows several steps and some restrictions imposed by the French Constitution. It all begins with the registration of the submitted document. A delegation from the Bureau of the National Assembly judges the admissibility of the proposal, in particular by looking for elements that could lead to a reduction in public resources or to the aggravation of a public burden, as was the case during the attempt to repeal the last pension reform by the Liot group. If the delegation from the Bureau authorizes the submission of the bill, the President of the Assembly must publicly attest to this. The proposal is then registered on the list of parliamentary document submissions under a number. A step which, in theory this time, should not pose a problem for the Insoumis who benefit from a majority in the Bureau of the National Assembly. A significant advantage.
A major obstacle for LFI: the Senate
The author of the proposal can then correct his text if he wishes and seek support in the chamber. He then sends a “good to print” so that the bill can be published in the Official Journals and on the web. The proposal can then be included on the agenda of the National Assembly. If this is not the case, the letter is considered “dead”. It is only from this stage that a rapporteur is appointed to examine the text, before adopting a report.
The committee in charge of the proposal wants it to be adopted? It is then required to resume drafting it in the conclusion of its report. It is these conclusions that will be debated in public session. Conversely, if the committee wants the proposal to be rejected, the National Assembly must rule in public session on the initial text submitted by the author. In public session, the bill at first reading can lead to the adoption of the text and its title, or to its rejection. In the second case, it cannot be resubmitted before one year has passed. If the proposal is adopted at first reading, it is sent to the Senate. If the two chambers – National Assembly and Senate – agree on an identical text, the proposal can become law. Finally, the law is promulgated by the President of the Republic and published in the Official Journal. Discussions and procedures that can take weeks, even months before the actual publication of the text initiated by LFI and Mathilde Panot in July 2024.