France's top constitutional body rejects bid to hold referendum on pension reform
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Loading... - Cecile Sanchez
- 05 May 2023
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France’s top constitutional body rejected on Wednesday a last-ditch effort by opposition lawmakers to undo President Emmanuel Macron's law to raise the retirement age to 64, deeming that a proposed bill doesn't meet the needed criteria.
It was the second time that the Constitutional Council has rejected the plan to restore the retirement age to 62, notably via a possible referendum or new bill. Had it passed muster, the process called for would be long and wouldn't stop Macron's law from taking effect.
The council ruled that the proposed legislation doesn't address a required “reform regarding social policy ... and therefore judges that it does not satisfy conditions” set out in the French Constitution.
Opposition lawmakers, mainly from the left, wanted to launch a complex process in hopes of rejecting Macron's unpopular pension law that was enacted last month.
The Constitutional Council’s role was to assess whether the opposition’s request meets the legal conditions for a potential referendum. Had it been accepted, supporters would have had nine months to collect signatures from at least 4.8 million, or 10%, of French voters.
Macron’s government would then have been able to choose between sending the opposition’s text to parliament for debate and eventually a vote, or waiting for six months to put the measure before voters in a referendum. The proposal would only have gone to a national referendum if it weren't debated by lawmakers.
The Constitutional Council rejected a similar proposal in April. The authors revised the measure to add language stating that a change in the financing of France’s pension system is needed. Read More…
