French PM Lashes out at Bill Opponents ahead of Confidence Vote
French Prime Minister Manuel Valls on Wednesday accused opponents of a contested economic bill of "conservatism, irresponsibility and childishness", a day after the government forced it through parliament in a rare move.
Struggling to win a majority for the set of reforms seen as vital to pep up the sluggish French economy, Valls on Tuesday resorted to a little-used constitutional device to push the contested bill through parliament without a vote.
Furious opposition MPs have since submitted a vote of confidence due on Thursday, which could in theory bring the government down although analysts say this is highly unlikely.
"I could not take any risk on this bill's vote due to a combination of inaction, conservatism, irresponsibility and childishness," he told parliament.
"And my responsibility, that of the government and of a huge majority of Socialist lawmakers was to ensure that the bill was adopted... because it gives our economy a fresh lease of life."
The reforms include increasing the number of Sundays that shops are allowed to stay open from the current maximum of five a year to 12, and liberalizing certain sectors of the economy.
A significant rump of leftist rebels from the ruling Socialist Party, who see the reforms as too pro-business, had vowed to vote against the bill or abstain, prompting the government move.
But the rebels are unlikely to topple the government on the issue in Thursday's confidence vote.
The bill is the brainchild of banker-turned-economy minister Emmanuel Macron, who sees it as vital to energizing the eurozone's second-largest economy which registered a meager 0.4 percent growth last year and has record high unemployment.
President Francois Hollande is pinning his hopes for the economy on the Macron reforms, plus a package of tax breaks for business in return for job pledges, known as the Responsibility Pact.
On Wednesday, the French leader told a cabinet meeting that the decision to force the bill through was made because "there was no time to lose".
Source: Agence France Presse
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