The French Senate approved this Saturday the law that provides for the increase in the retirement age from 62 to 64 years, in a vote that gathered 195 votes in favor and 112 against.
Approval comes at the end of the seventh day of protestswith more than a million French people having taken to the streets of the country to protest against the measure.
“An important step has been taken”, said the Prime Minister, Elisabeth Borne, to the AFP agency, who recalled the “hundreds of hours of debate”, and speaks of a “decisive step”. The National Assembly meets next week for final approval, which is expected to be a little closer.
#vote | After une centaine d’heures de débat, le Sénat adopte le texte de la réforme des retraites. Une étape décisive pour faire aboutir une réforme qui assurera l’avenir de nos retraites. Totalement engagée pour permettre une adoption définitive dans les prochains jours. pic.twitter.com/c2KC0XxB0s
— Élisabeth BORNE (@Elisabeth_Borne)
March 11, 2023
Next Wednesday, a joint committee of the lower and upper chambers of parliament will meet to discuss the final vote. If they agree on the text, this vote should take place a day later. This is where the law will be put to the test, as Emmanuel Macron’s party will need allies to pass the proposal.
If it feels that it will not get enough votes in the lower house of parliament, the government can always try to pass the law without presenting it to deputies, in what is known as a procedure known as 49.3, the article number that provides for this possibility.
If that is the way forward, the opposition will have to present a motion of censure that must have a majority of at least 289 deputies, which could block the passage of the law.
