2024 RT Amination Banner.gif

China Daily

News> World> Content
Published: 17:44, March 09, 2023 | Updated: 20:50, March 09, 2023
French Senate votes raising retirement age to 64
By Reuters
Published:17:44, March 09, 2023 Updated:20:50, March 09, 2023 By Reuters

Senators attend a debate and vote session on the government's pension reform at the French Senate in Paris on March 6, 2023. (PHOTO / AFP)

PARIS - French senators early on Thursday voted in favor of raising the legal retirement age to 64 from 62, a first win for President Emmanuel Macron's pension reform plans which have sparked protests and strikes across the country.

Two hundred and one members of the Senate, dominated by the conservative Les Republicains party, voted in favor of the reform's flagship article 7 on the retirement age, while 115 voted against it.

But Macron lacks an outright majority in the National Assembly and will need to win over several dozen conservative lawmakers or use his constitutional powers to bypass parliament

The French upper house is expected to approve the remaining articles of the reform bill later this week. It will then be submitted to a mediation committee between lawmakers from the Senate and the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, next week.

READ MORE: Trains halted, schools shut in France amid pension battle

The latter had not been able to discuss the article 7 of the law during a 15-day long tense debate marred by insults and jeers.

The government is hoping the pension changes will be adopted by parliament by the end of the month.

ALSO READ: Third wave of pension protests keeps pressure on Macron

But Macron lacks an outright majority in the National Assembly and will need to win over several dozen conservative lawmakers or use his constitutional powers to bypass parliament.

Share this story

CHINA DAILY
HONG KONG NEWS
OPEN
Please click in the upper right corner to open it in your browser !