French prime minister backs suspending unpopular pension reform law

"Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu faces two no-confidence motions this week as France's political crisis deepens. France's embattled prime minister says he backs suspending a pension reform until after the 2027 presidential election in a bid to end the political turmoil that has gripped the country for months. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu, 39, announced on Tuesday that he supports pausing an unpopular reform that raised the age of retirement from 62 to 64 in the hopes of securing enough votes to survive two no-confidence votes."

"President Emmanuel Macron signed into law the bill to raise the retirement age, a signature economic reform that became the biggest domestic challenge of Macron's second mandate as he faced widespread popular opposition to the changes and also sliding personal popularity. Hundreds of thousands protested against the change in 2023 in towns and cities across the country. Lecornu has faced an uphill battle since being appointed prime minister in early September."

"He ultimately stepped down from the post in early October, further deepening the country's long-running political crisis. Macron then reappointed Lecornu as prime minister last week. Lecornu faces two no-confidence motions by the hard-left France Unbowed and far-right National Rally parties. The two parties do not hold enough seats to topple Lecornu's government on their own, but the prime minister could be ousted if the Socialist Party were to join forces with them."

Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu announced support for suspending the 2023 pension reform that raised the retirement age from 62 to 64 until after the 2027 presidential election. He promised no increase in the retirement age until January 2028 and said he would propose the suspension to parliament in the autumn. President Emmanuel Macron signed the bill into law, prompting widespread protests across France in 2023. Lecornu was appointed prime minister in early September, briefly stepped down in October, and was reappointed last week. He faces two no-confidence motions and risks ouster if the Socialist Party sides with them.

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