Paris : Thursday could be a decisive day for a bill to extend the retirement age in France as it could be made legal either by a parliamentary vote or by special powers of the president. While sanitation workers continue their strike, students plan to march to the lower house of parliament as opponents of the bill pressure the government to back down. On Wednesday, around 500,000 people protested across the country.
Thursday is also a significant day for French President Emmanuel Macron as he is in favor of raising the retirement age from 62 to 64. If he does not get a parliamentary majority in the vote, there is a possibility that Macron could risk implementing unpopular changes unilaterally.
Macron wants to push through the pension reform bill in line with his vision to make the French economy more competitive. Various employee unions appealed to MPs on Wednesday night to vote against the bill. There is a possibility of voting on this bill on Thursday afternoon. Left-wing and right-wing MPs are opposing the bill, while Conservative MPs remain divided over fears of what effects it could have on French citizens and the economy if it becomes law.