French opposition group Les Republicans sack chief over exploding pensions

Issuance of: 2023/02/18 – 20:54

Aurélien Pradier is Emmanuel Macron’s Controversial reforms his party supported.

LR Supreme Eric Ciotti condemned what he called Pradier’s personal adventures.

“His repeated positions were no longer consistent with the values ​​of coherence and unity that should guide the right wing of the Republican Party,” LR President said in a statement.

Pradier, 36 years old He effectively declared war on his party when he argued that workers should be entitled to full pensions after paying 43 years of contributions.

His fate was sealed when his position was hailed by left-wing parties campaigning against Macron’s proposals.

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“90% of working people are against retirement at 64,” tweeted Raquel Garrido, MP for La France-Insumiz.

“Thus, it is normal for parliamentarians of all kinds to be reluctant to apply anti-democratic directives, such as voting for laws they do not believe in. Ciotti’s disciplinary action against Pradier is from another era.”

The LR leader is understood to have taken the decision to sanction Pradier after crisis talks with party elders.

“The only fate that matters is that of the French to whom we are committed,” Pradier said in a tweet after learning of his fate.

Pradier was treading on thin ice in both liberal and conservative sections of LR.

LR politicians in the Senate (the upper house of the French parliament) were concerned that the Pradier explosion would undermine the concessions About reform It was negotiated.

MEP Agnes Evren told Agnes Evren: “We could not continue this disastrous show of parliamentarians trying to make moves without actually taking action. ” he said.

Macron’s reforms have led to widespread industrial action. On February 16, his fifth day of action against plans to raise the retirement age from his 62 to his 64 took place.

Trains and the Paris metro were running mostly as normal, but air travel was hit by the biggest disruption yet as more air traffic controllers went on strike.

Trade unions said they wanted to put pressure on members of the National Assembly, the lower house of the French parliament, who have been debating the pension reform law for two weeks.