France: Macron's Government Pushes Controversial Pension Reform

The French government on Thursday pushed a controversial pension reform through the National Assembly without a vote, deploying a constitutional power.

The move, using the so-called article 49:3 of the constitution, will ensure the bill raising the retirement age by two years to 64 is adopted after weeks of protests.

President Emmanuel Macron considered that the financial and economic risks of inaction on the reform were too great and that special constitutional powers were needed to push it through, Reuters reports.

Angered by the decisions, French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne was greeted by boos as she arrived at the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, to announce the special procedure on Thursday.

The session was suspended for two minutes after left-wing lawmakers singing the national anthem prevented Borne from speaking.

Some also brandished placards reading "No to 64 years."

When the session resumed, Borne explained using the 49:3 procedure, saying; "We cannot gamble on the future of our pensions, this reform is necessary.

"We can't take the risk of seeing 175 hours of parliamentary debate come to nothing."