French authorities decided to raise the retirement age without a vote in Parliament

In France, it was decided to carry out pension reform bypassing the vote in Parliament. This was announced by Prime Minister Elizabeth Born during a meeting of the National Assembly.

“I’m ready to take responsibility,” she said (quote by Le Monde).

Born added that the reform is the fruit of “consultations with trade unions, employers and parliamentarians.” She also noted that earlier both houses of parliament reached a compromise on this issue.

Thus, the prime minister took advantage of article 49.3 of the French constitution, according to which a law can be adopted without the approval of parliament. Earlier edition of BFM, citing sources wrotethat French President Emmanuel Macron approved such a measure because he feared that the pension reform would not collect the required number of votes in the lower house of parliament.

After that, the leader of the French National Rally party, Marine Le Pen, called on Bourne to resign, saying that her actions were a “slap in the face of democracy.”

Reform, submitted French Prime Minister on March 10, involves a gradual increase in the retirement age from 62 to 64 years. It is proposed to increase the retirement age from September 1, 2023 by three months per year. It is planned to bring it up to 64 years by 2030. The French authorities explained the need for reforms by reducing the number of actively working taxpayers providing for pensioners, and by increasing the budget deficit.

The reform caused discontent in society and protests. The first mass actions took place in France on January 19. Trade unions reported that 400,000 people took to the streets in Paris. At the same time, the French Interior Ministry estimated the number of protesters at 80,000. According to the agency, 1.12 million people took part in the protests on January 19 across the country.

The protests reached their peak by March 7th. Then 1.28 million demonstrators took to the streets. How reported “RIA Novosti” on the eve of March 15, clashes between radicals and the police began at protests in Paris. In particular, the demonstrators smashed bus stops, smashed shop windows, set fire to garbage cans and built barricades. The police responded with tear gas.