Parliament suspends Macron’s pension reform

The budget, which culminated in the suspension of the reform, was approved by the National Assembly by 247 votes in favor and 232 against. The text does not completely revoke the reform, but freezes its implementation, by interrupting the gradual increase in the minimum retirement age from 62 to 64 years old. In practice, the age remains stagnant at 62 years and nine months until 2028, when Macron’s successor will be in power — presidential elections are scheduled for 2027.

According to information from the newspaper The Worldthe suspension of the reform was included within the social security budget as a political concession by Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu to the Socialist Party, whose vote was decisive in guaranteeing the approval of the budget text. The Macron government has a minority in Parliament and is facing difficulties in forming a stable majority.

The French press analyzed that the vote represents a political victory for Lecornu, who managed to approve the first of the two necessary budget projects before the deadline of December 31, but it is seen as a symbolic defeat for Macron, who has always treated the pension reform as untouchable. In 2023, the measure was only implemented after using article 49.3 of the Constitution, which allows the Executive to approve laws without parliamentary voting, a mechanism that generated protests across the country.