First modification:
A new request for the controversial pension reform, which is now law, to be submitted to a popular referendum, was rejected, a decision issued by the French Constitutional Council on May 3. The proposal was made by the left of the country and seeks to respond to weeks of protests in the streets due to the increase in the minimum retirement age, which went from 62 to 64 years. Meanwhile, the opposition and unions continue to seek legal strategies to overthrow the law.
France has experienced turbulent weeks since the beginning of the year, when the government of President Emmanuel Macron launched its risky proposal for a pension reform, to later convert it into law through article 49.3, without a vote by the Legislature, since it was very difficult for it to obtain support. without a parliamentary majority.
On April 14, the Council had denied a first request to review the amendment and gave the go-ahead for the president’s amendment to become law, as it did the next day, when it was signed into law by the president and is expected to take effect in September.
“This second initiative does not imply a reform related to social policy that could justify its call,” reads a statement issued by the Constitutional Council.
This second petition, called Shared Initiative Referendum (RIP), was signed by 253 deputies and senators, mostly from left-wing parties, and had as a novelty the proposal to create a new tax to finance pensionswhich according to them, would prevent the increase in retirement age.
But if authorized by the Council, the referendum would have had a long way to go. It would be necessary to collect almost five million signatures, equivalent to 10% of the electoral census, within a period of nine months.
After the collection, the two French legislative chambers, the National Assembly and the Senate, would have to rigorously examine the text within a maximum period of six months. Something never seen before since the referendum model was included in the Constitution in 2008.
Discord over pensions in France
Macron and his government defend their pension reform tooth and nail, arguing that change is necessary or the system risks collapsing, as the elderly population grows larger and fewer young people subsidize the pension system.
According to Macron, this would imply the collapse of the current system by the end of the decade. With this change, France catches up with most of its neighbors, where the average retirement age is 64.
But those who oppose the reform assure that that missing money can be found by other measures, like raising taxes on the large estates of the richest.
However, only 36% of the French retire at age 62 and the rest retire at a later age.
The opposition, together with the unions, scheduled a national day of protests for June 6, two days before an opposition motion to have the pension law annulled is due to be discussed.
The social unrest is expected to continue in the country, while opposition legislators and unions seek legal tools to strike down the law that has cost President Macron great unpopularity.
With EFE and Reuters
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