LOC17:03
14:03 GMT
PARIS, March 22 (KUNA) -- French President Emmanuel Macron underlined that the highly contested new pension reform law should be enacted by the end of the year since it is necessary.
In an interview with TF1 and France 2 TV channels on Wednesday, President Macron tried to calm the uproar caused by the law particularly after his government narrowly survived a no-confidence vote at the parliament.
The reform plan will proceed in its democratic path, he stressed, explaining that the government prepared it after months of consultations, and then amended it after consultations in parliament.
He said it does not make him happy, that he wishes he had not done that, regretting not sharing the necessary reasons for reform, but it is in the public interest.
Macron condemned the protest strikes, underlining that he is against blockage and disruption, especially obstruction of public life, expressing hope for a return to normal as soon as possible.
Macron is trying once again to justify the need to reform the pension system to achieve a balance in the payment system as soon as possible, noting that when he entered working life, there were 10 million retirees, and today there are 17 million whereas in 2030 there will be 20 million.
He expressed his regret over the failure to advance any settlement or solutions, underscoring that he is ready for dialogue with partners on working conditions.
On Tuesday, Macron held consultations with Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, members of the government, his political allies and well-known leaders, as well as the President of the National Assembly and the President of the Senate.
Macron confirmed yesterday, Tuesday, that he does not intend to dissolve parliament or amend his government led by Borne, in the middle of the escalating wave of protests after the passage of the pension reform without a vote and the government's escape from a no-confidence vote in the National Assembly.
France witnessed a wave of strikes and massive protests in several French cities since the beginning of the year, and they escalated at the end of the week after the French government survived a vote of no confidence in the National Assembly with 278 votes.
The French police intervened after the demonstrators set fires in various places in the country and vandalized the streets and public property, which led to the arrest of hundreds of people.
The French government decided to resort to Article 49.3 of the constitution to pass a draft law reforming the retirement system without it being voted on in the National Assembly.
This constitutional tool allows the government to adopt the text without a vote of representatives.
The Senate also approved the text of the controversial pension reform, which raises the retirement age from 62 to 64 years old, with 193 votes in favor and 114 against.
The government defended the decision to pass the bill without a vote in the public interest, explaining that rejecting this compromise would mean financing their pensions with debt and seriously weakening the payment system.
The project to amend the French retirement system includes raising the retirement age to 64 years old by 2030 and re-evaluating the minimum pension by up to 85 percent, to reach about 1,200 euros (USD 1,288). (end)
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