French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu is buying himself time: he has postponed the increase in the retirement age for the time being – a concession to the Socialists and the Left Party.
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu is suspending President Emmanuel Macron's pension reform, taking a step closer to the opposition in the political crisis. As Lecornu announced in his government statement, the increase in the retirement age to 64 will be suspended until January 2028.
The announcement increases the prime minister's chances of surviving a vote of no confidence, which will be voted on in parliament on Thursday."This suspension is intended to create the necessary confidence to develop new solutions," Lecornu told members of the National Assembly in Paris.
France's Left Party and the national right had already submitted two motions of no confidence before the government's declaration, announcing their intention to bring down the government at all costs. The right-wing Rassemblement National (RN) had also stated that it would also vote for the Left Party's motion.
Meanwhile, the Socialists made their tolerance of the new government dependent on whether Lecornu would announce a suspension of the controversial pension reform in his government statement. The Socialists announced this in a statement 40 minutes before Lecornu's speech began.
Pension reform sparked mass protests in France
The pension reform, which was passed through parliament without a vote in spring 2023, led to months of mass protests in France. The key plan of Macron's second term was justified by a gap in the pension system. The pension reform was intended to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64.
Lecornu now called for a renewed debate on reforming the pension system. However, the system must remain balanced in the long term and must not increase France's already high government deficit."The cost of the pension system amounts to €400 million in 2026 and €1.8 billion in 2027. This suspension will ultimately benefit 3.5 million French people. It must therefore be financially offset, including through austerity measures."
