After Macron’s use of ‘nuclear option’ on unpopular pension reform, what's next?

A protester holds a placard during a demonstration at Place de la Concorde in Paris after the French government pushed a pension reform bill through the National Assembly without a vote, March 16, 2023. © Thomas Samson, AFP

Several consequences could follow the French government’s use of Article 49.3 of the constitution to pass President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform without a vote in the National Assembly on Thursday. They include no-confidence motion against the government, the dissolution of the Assembly, and ongoing street protests. FRANCE 24 breaks down the options for the opposition and the president.

After Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne on Thursday invoked the power inscribed in Article 49.3 of the constitution allowing the government to pass bills without a vote in the lower-house Assembly, opponents of pension reform still have cards to play. They hope to force the government to back down before the enactment of the controversial law, which includes a hike in the retirement age from 62 to 64.