The French National Assembly approved this Wednesday the suspension of the controversial pension reform until the 2027 elections.
This was one of the commitments he made the french prime minister Sébastien Lecornu with the French socialists for the survival of his second Government.
A ‘sacrifice’ that he overcame as soon as he started his second Executive last October two motions of censurefrom the radical left of France Insoumise (LFI) and from the extreme right of Marine Le Pen.
With 255 votes in favor and 146 against, the suspension of the controversial 2023 pension reform went ahead with the majority support of the Socialist Party, the Greens and the National Rally of Marine Le Pen, and the abstention of the Renaissance party of the French president, Emmanuel Macron.
The radical left of La Francia Insumisa (LFI) and the communists voted against the suspension of the most important measure of Macron’s second term.
This measure, to which Lecornu committed, appears as an article introduced in the Social Security financing bill.
Suspends until January 2028 the delay in the retirement age to 64ñosos, as well as the increase in the number of contribution quarters necessary to collect a full pension.
A controversial reform
The pension reform It has been one of the most controversial measures in recent years, provoking an intense social and political debate in France, in addition to numerous and massive demonstrations in the streets.
It consists of gradually raise the legal retirement age from 62 to 64 until 2030in addition to require 43 full years of contributions to be able to access a full pension, when before 42 were required.
The Government of Emmanuel Macron promoted this modification arguing financial sustainability needs in the face of population aging and public deficit.
Las Demonstrations against it started in January 2023with thousands of citizens in the streets and strikes in key sectors such as transportation, education and garbage collection.
The unions, along with the social majority according to surveys, oppose the reform because they consider it unfair and because the urgency and the forms—avoiding voting in the National Assembly through the use of article 49.3 of the Constitution—have been seen as a contempt for the popular will.
He main reason for rejection is the perception of social injustice: Many citizens consider that working until the age of 64 especially penalizes those who started working at a young age or have physically exhausting jobs.
The unions also called days of general strike and massive mobilizations, bringing together more than a million protesters on several occasions. The unrest remained alive for months, with episodes of riots and constant pressure on the Government.
Political instability
The political conflict intensified when the Government used the article 49.3 to approve the law by decreedue to the lack of sufficient support in Parliament. This led to motions of censure against the Executive, which, although they did not succeed, significantly weakened the position of the then prime minister. Elisabeth Borne and the image of Macron himself.
Although Borne did not fall due to a motion of censure, He resigned due to political exhaustion and loss of support after the approval of several controversial laws, including the pension law.
Macron is subscribed to the political crisis: four prime ministers in just over a year.
Lecornu, who was reappointed prime minister on October 10 just five days after resigning, came to office on September 9, after the fall of his predecessor as prime minister, François Bayrou, a day before in a motion of confidence to which he himself wanted to submit.
Before Bayrou, in early December 2024, Michel Barnier was knocked down in a motion of censure after only three months on the job.