French president enacted reform with retirement from 62 to 64 years, despite popular rejection

Havana, April 15 (RHC) - French president Emmanuel Macron promulgated this Saturday the retirement reform and his controversial extension of the retirement age from 62 to 64 years, a norm validated yesterday in essence by the Constitutional Council.

The Official Gazette of the French Republic reflects the modification of the legal retirement age in the Social Security Code, the most rejected article of the reform and the reason why the main unions in the country left their differences behind to unite against the initiative.

Macron had 15 days to put the text into force, and in fact he promulgated it faster than expected, despite the solemn call of the unions and political leaders not to do so.

The inter-union, a movement that has brought millions of people to the streets in 12 days of protests since January 19, had urged the president not to materialize his project and warned that they will not attend his invitation to dialogue on Tuesday to move on.

In this sense, he announced a meeting on Monday to define the next steps to follow in the face of the reform, declared constitutional yesterday by the Council, a decision that unleashed demonstrations in various cities in France with some episodes of violence.

The forces of order arrested more than a hundred people in Paris, while special police units were dispatched to the northern Rennes after the fire at the door of a police station.

According to leaders such as the leader of La France Unsubmissive, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the national secretary of the Communist Party, Fabien Roussel, and the first secretary of the Socialist Party, Olivier Faure, the battle against the retirement reform will continue, with various proposals once the legal avenues have been exhausted.

The leader of the extreme right, Marine Le Pen, also criticized the government for its project and asserted that "the people always have the last word", alluding to the majority rejection of the French to the project.

For this Saturday, new demonstrations are planned in various cities, waiting for what the Inter-union will decide on the possible upcoming protests. Some voices of the social movement have made a call to convert May Day parades in a day against the retirement reform. (Source: Prensa Latina)