The French Senate approved the pension reform of President Emmanuel Macron’s government on Saturday evening. This represents a major obstacle for the government. The pension plan received the support of 195 senators; 112 voted against. On Wednesday evening, the Senate has already approved the most important measure of the package, the raising of the retirement age from 62 to 64 years.
Now that the full plan has been approved by the Senate, a joint committee of the Senate and the House of Commons, the Assemblée Nationale, must determine the final text. It must then be put to a vote in both chambers. It will probably happen on Thursday.
Not sure
The outcome of that final vote is by no means certain, because the government does not have a majority in the Assembly. If the government is not sure it has sufficient support, it may decide to go ahead with the pension reform without putting it to a vote. The French constitution permits this, but the so-called Article 49/3 procedure is controversial and rarely used.
On Saturday, hundreds of thousands of French people again protested against raising the retirement age. In the evening, riots broke out in Paris. Trash cans were set on fire and shop windows were smashed. Police made 32 arrests. More demonstrations and strikes have been announced for Wednesday, the day when the joint committee meeting of the House of Commons and House of Lords is scheduled.
Source: BNR
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