The Elders said no to a request by left-leaning senators to consider a referendum that would reinstate retirement at age 62. The hope of reversing the decline in the retirement age now rests on a bill next June.
A new setback for opponents of pension reform. The Elders ruled inadmissible on Wednesday the second request for shared initiative referendum (RIP) filed by left-wing parliamentarians to challenge the reform.
These elected officials wanted to submit to the vote of the French a bill which provides that the retirement age cannot exceed 62 years – against 64 years with the reform.
A negative decision expected
The members of the Constitutional Council therefore considered that the RIP did not relate to the areas of “the organization of public powers, reforms relating to economic, social or environmental policy and to the public services which contribute thereto”, as required by the Constitution.
On April 14, the members of rue Montpensier had already rejected a first request. Despite a modification of the request, the Constitutional Council was therefore not more convinced, judging that the request for RIP does not concern “a reform”, as the Constitution nevertheless specifies.
This decision is not really a surprise. CFDT boss Laurent Berger said he believed “more or less” in his validation. The new secretary general of the CGT Sophie Binet had judged for her part that the RIP “had been thought” not to work.
Heading for a bill to repeal the reform
Opponents do not admit defeat, however. A bill tabled by the Liot group will be examined on June 8, with the aim again of restoring retirement to 62 years of age. On paper, the bill is likely to be passed if LR deputies join their voices to those of Nupes and RN. However, its adoption remains very hypothetical.
The Liot deputies will defend their text from 9 a.m. to midnight. Suffice to say that the presidential majority could multiply the tabling of amendments to drag out the debates and prevent the deputies from voting within the time limits.
But even in the event of adoption in the National Assembly, the text should then be voted on in the Senate which said yes twice to the pension reform, which makes its adoption unlikely. A favorable vote of the deputies would however have all of a slap for the executive.
In the meantime, the inter-union calls for a new day of mobilization on June 6th.
