French Left Coalition Suggests Holding Referendum on Draft Pension Reform

PARIS (Sputnik) - The left-wing coalition New Ecological and Social People's Union (Nupes) in the French lower house of parliament, the National Assembly, has tabled a motion for holding a referendum on the draft pension reform, Communist Party leader Fabien Roussel said on Tuesday.

"We see that the government, by its decision not to give up and carry out the reform, has chosen the path of confrontation. This does not serve the interests of France in a period of crisis. Therefore, we propose to return the right to choose to the people and do it through a referendum. Last night, on behalf of 98 lawmakers of the left factions, we submitted a proposal to hold a referendum," Roussel told French broadcaster.

According to the politician, the leftists will be calling on lawmakers in the National Assembly to hold a referendum starting February 6, on the same day when the discussion of the pension reform begins.

On January 10, French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne presented a draft pension reform, which the government planned to adopt in September 2023. According to Borne's plan, the French government will begin to raise the retirement age in the country by three months per year from September 1, gradually increasing it from the current 62 years to 64 by 2030.

France's leading trade unions announced nationwide strikes against the pension reform starting from January 19. Over 200 demonstrations were held across the country on Thursday, with the largest protests taking place in Paris, Marseilles, Lyon, Toulouse, Lille and Nantes. The French capital also saw the continuation of protests on Saturday.