Paris, July 23, 2024, The Europe Today: France’s leftist France Unbowed (LFI) party announced plans on Tuesday to introduce new legislation aimed at reversing President Emmanuel Macron’s controversial pension reforms, including raising the legal retirement age from 62 to 64. This move comes in response to widespread public opposition and violent street protests that erupted last year.
Mathilde Panot, the head of LFI in the lower house of parliament, stated on France Inter radio, “We will, today, put down a legal proposition to cancel the pension reforms.”
The reforms, designed to safeguard the state’s finances and enhance productivity, have been a central point of contention. The left-wing bloc, emerging as the strongest force in the recent snap parliamentary elections, has prioritized this repeal despite lacking a parliamentary majority.
LFI’s proposed bill, unlikely to be voted on before September, will require support from lawmakers beyond the New Popular Front left-wing coalition to succeed. The right-wing National Rally party, which also advocated for a lower retirement age, may find common ground with LFI on this issue. However, Macron’s centrist bloc and other center-right politicians have expressed firm opposition to reversing the reforms.
France remains in a state of parliamentary deadlock since Macron’s decision to call the election, with the government expected to operate in a caretaker capacity throughout the summer.
