By Athena Papakosta

“Unable to realize that he is faced with a challenge to Democracy” comments the French newspaper “La Liberation”. “Macron, as expected, did not bring any results,” explains “Le Figaro”. “French President Emmanuel Macron has maintained a defiant stance on his decision to impose an increase in the minimum pension limit despite protests across France and two impeachment motions against his government,” writes the BBC.

Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday broke his silence for the first time for everything that has been happening in his country in the last few days after his decision to proceed – bypassing the French national assembly – with the reform of the country’s pension system and the reception of his statements was not particularly warm either by the domestic or foreign media, not by the opposition, not by the trade unions and not by most of French society.

Speaking to two journalists from the country’s two television stations, TF1 and France 2, the French president had at least 30 minutes to defend himself and his reform. “This reform is not a luxury, it is not a pleasure. It is a necessity”, he emphasized.

He did not back down and nobody expected the French president to back down yesterday. It is not the first time that he has tried to change what the French consider their national right, the pension. At the beginning of 2020, he was stopped by the corona virus, but in 2023 he is prevented by the popular anger that develops into a pandemic for his political survival.

Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday afternoon addressed a society that has been on its feet for weeks while, for a week, protesters have been setting fire to the capital and other major cities in France, demonstrating in order to force the French president to retreat.

As he said, “the protesters have every right to demonstrate in the streets” stressing that he “seriously takes their anger into account” but considers it “unacceptable” that some are resorting to violence.

“Do you think it pleases me to proceed with this reform? No” he confessed, clarifying that he wants his pension reform to be implemented by the end of this year since, as he explained, he does not care about the fact that he is no longer loved at all. “Between the polls, my term and the collective interest, I choose the collective interest of the country.” After all, the only 45-year-old Macron, according to the French Constitution, does not have the right to re-election after the end of his second term.

Taking advantage of the “opportunity” to take on the political costs, he attacked the opposition, stressing that he “prefers to create more deficits to avoid making difficult decisions”. Far-right Marine Le Pen, for her part, commented that only he has the keys to get out of the political crisis.

But for Macron, the only mistake he has made all this time is that both he and his government have failed to explain why this incendiary reform for French society is necessary.

The pension system in France is pay-as-you-go which mainly means that the employees finance the pensions. At the moment, according to Macron, there are 17 million pensioners in the country, while when he first took office as president in 2017, there were 10 million.

“The longer we wait, the more [το έλλειμμα] it will get worse,” he said and reiterated that the bill “will continue its democratic course.” According to official estimates, the pension system is holding up in the short term but, in the long term, the fund will be in the red as it will record a deficit.

“He seemed to think he was addressing millions of fools,” commented Philippe Martins, general secretary of the left-wing CGT union, stressing that he tried to convince that there were no alternatives, while Laurent Berger, head of France’s largest CFDT union, accused the French president of he lies.

Le Monde talks about the feeling of brutality from the top, pointing out that the days that France is living in the last period of time are scratching its old wounds, such as the mistrust towards power and the deep gap that separates the people and the elected.

Even Macron’s choice to keep Prime Minister Bourne in place to continue leading the government for many analysts also proves that the French president, who does not even have a majority in Parliament, has made a decision to continue playing with the nerves of the rest of the country’s political forces and especially with the endurance of the workers who are preparing to further escalate their mobilizations. In fact, the beginning of this escalation will take place from today in the ninth round of strikes and demonstrations at the national level.