The French government on Tuesday decided to push through without a vote a pro-business economic reform bill, which includes throwing open shop doors on Sundays. The decision came shortly before a scheduled vote on the measure that is a centerpiece of President Francois Hollande's economic strategy.
Prime Minister Manuel Valls invoked a special power allowing bills to be passed in the lower house without a vote using constitutional Article 49-3. The decision to do so was made after a brief emergency Cabinet meeting, part of a dramatic power struggle within the governing Socialist Party, where a group of mavericks contested the bill authored by Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron.
Rivals have 24 hours to file a censure motion that would force a vote of confidence on the government. The head of the conservatives in parliament, Christian Jacob, had said during a fiery debate that his UMP party would not fail to file a censure motion if the government refused to take the bill to a vote.
The prime minister has shown steely determination to get the bill passed.
"I will take no responsibility for the risk of rejection of a bill I consider essential to relaunch the economy," Valls said in announcing his decision to invoke special powers.
A smaller risk lies ahead should the opposition file the censure motion that, if passed, would bring down the government — an unlikely prospect.
The bill is aimed at freeing up France's labour rules to invigorate hiring and investment. It contains a patchwork of measures from easing layoffs to boosting Sunday shopping — the issue at the heart of the battle.
Only a scant number of French shops, mainly in tourist areas, are open on Sundays at the moment. The areas where this is allowed would be multiplied under Macron's law and could include some Riviera cities. Importantly, shops would be able to stay open until midnight. In non-tourist areas, the law would allow shops to be open up to 12 Sundays a year instead of the five now permitted.
The measure allows stores to open on Sundays and evenings in areas designated "international tourist zones." Stores in other areas would be allowed to be open 12 Sundays a year.
The intense last-minute wrangling over the bill, which has been debated for three weeks, was clearly not expected. Only hours before the scheduled vote did it become clear to Valls that mavericks in his Socialist Party had increased in number and were prepared to block the bill, along with traditional rivals.
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