Paris (EFE).- The pension reform of the Government of Emmanuel Macron, which is opposed by almost 70% of the French, according to a recent poll, faces a crucial day this Thursday, with a possible approval in the Assembly in amid high social tension.
The controversial bill, which includes an increase in the minimum retirement age from 62 to 64, will be debated and most likely voted on Thursday in both French chambers: in the Senate starting at 9:00 local time and in the Assembly from 15.00.
The session of the two chambers takes place one day after the eighth day of mobilizations against the reform, which attracted fewer protesters than in most of the other protests held this first quarter.
In the event of a final vote in the Assembly, the French government counts, in theory, on the base of the deputies of Macron’s party, his centrist partners and with the punctual -and fundamental- support of the conservatives, The Republicans (LR), with which the macronistas already agreed on a final text on Wednesday in a mixed commission.
The project will be opposed by the left-wing parties – headed by the Unsubmissive France (LFI) – and the far-right of Marine Le Pen, in addition to some LR deputies, which could leave the result uncertain depending on how many dissidents there are.
For this reason, the French president does not have everything with him and met last night at the Élysée with his prime minister, Élisabeth Borne, and with the ministers related to the reform.
The Head of State wants to avoid last-minute shocks at all costs, guaranteeing a majority in both chambers that will allow the plan to go ahead, which, in addition to increasing the retirement age, contemplates the advancement to 2027 of the rise from 42 to 43 years of the contribution period for a comprehensive pension.
Macron considers the reform essential
Macron, whose popularity has plummeted in the last month, considers the reform fundamental to balance the deficit of the pension system, which, according to government calculations, grows larger every year due to the decrease in the number of people of working age and the increase in pensioners, attributed, in part, to the aging of the population.
In the event that it could not approve the reform in Parliament, the Executive could resort to the controversial article 49.3 of the French Constitution, used to approve laws without the approval of the legislature.
Meanwhile, several sectoral strikes, among which the one for garbage collection in cities like Paris stands out, have been going on since March 7, when the movement hardened.
The unions have called a new protest in the vicinity of the Assembly to put pressure on the deputies.
Even if there is a final approval, the workers’ representatives have already warned that they will continue to be mobilized.