French parliament to debate Macron's pension reform bill

PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron's unpopular planned pension changes have prompted strikes and street demonstrations in recent weeks. Now, his government is facing a harsh political battle at parliament.

The National Assembly on Monday starts debating the contested bill, which would notably raise the minimum retirement age from 62 to 64. The parliamentary session comes a day before a third round of protests called by eight main workers' unions. More demonstrations are planned for Saturday.

Macron vowed to go ahead with the changes, which he described last week as “indispensable when you compare to (other countries) in Europe."

Faced with opinion polls repeatedly showing that a growing majority of people are against the reform, and his own popularity shrinking, Macron argues that it was a key electoral promise he made when he was reelected in April — and already when he came to power in 2017 — and therefore makes it legitimate for him to go ahead with the changes.

Yet leftist opposition leaders say many voters picked him to reject far-right rival Marine Le Pen in the run-off ballot last year, while disagreeing with his electoral platform.

Last week, an estimated 1.27 million people took to the streets, according to authorities, more than in the first big protest day on Jan. 19. Unions and political opponents hope massive mobilization will force the government to revise its plans.

Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said “we are asking French people for a collective effort. I understand it provokes reactions, reluctance and concerns,” in an interview Sunday to the Journal du Dimanche newspaper. She argued the plan aims at "saving” the French pension system, which is expected to dive in a deficit in the coming decade amid France's aging population.

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