France’s Macron bypasses National Assembly to raise retirement age to 64 – By Clyde Hughes (UPI) / Mar 16 2023
March 16 (UPI) — French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday pushed through a controversial increase in the country’s retirement age from 62 to 64 by using a procedure that allowed him to bypass a National Assembly vote.
Macron used Article 49.3 of the Constitution. The move opens him up to a possible no-confidence vote by opposition lawmakers, though, that is unlikely to happen. Macron’s party and its allies hold a slight majority in the assembly.
Macron’s move is likely to further inflame the bill’s opponents, who have demonstrated for about two months against the measure, sparking strikes in public transportation and garbage pickup. He defended the move, saying France’s pension system was in danger because of a growing number of retirees living longer and outpacing new workers, who fund the system, entering the workforce.
