The French Constitutional Council will speak on Good Friday after 19:00. Greek time, his long-awaited verdict on whether the government’s plans to raise the retirement age are constitutional, sparking massive protests.

The stakes are high. The government is hoping for a green light, perhaps with a few caveats, that could quell the protests and allow it to pass a bill that raises the retirement age by two years to 64 and push through other reforms.

“The country must continue to move forward, work and meet the challenges we face,” said President Emmanuel Macron during an official visit to the Netherlands.

But unions and the opposition warn that months of heated debate and protest over the pensions bill, which the government pushed through parliament without a vote due to lack of a majority, will not pass quickly, even if it wins council approval.

Trade unions and protesters will pressure Macron not to pass the law and will try to find another way out. The French president must withdraw the bill, “otherwise he will not be able to govern this country,” Sophie Binet, the new head of the hardline CGT union, said Thursday, warning of more strikes.

“We still hope that at some point, someone in high positions will decide to abandon this law, sit down at the table and take a different look at pensions,” Francis Bourget, 52, a postal worker, said at a rally in Paris. .

And the opposition hopes to organize a civil referendum. It’s a difficult task, with many hurdles, but it could still hamper the government’s work for months as the opposition struggles to muster the nearly 5 million signatures needed to move forward.

A source close to Mr Macron said the government would likely release the bill quickly in a government newspaper, possibly early next week if it gets the go-ahead from the council to try to move forward.

unlikely to be hit

The decision of the Council is expected in the late afternoon or early evening, probably after 18:00. local. He could have struck down the bill, but he has rarely done so, and constitutional experts and government sources consider this unlikely.

Alternatively, and more likely, experts and government sources say, the Council will approve an increase in the statutory retirement age, but it will remove some measures aimed at stimulating the employment of older workers on the grounds that they do not pertain to the Social Security Budget Bill.

Political observers say widespread dissatisfaction with government reform could have long-term implications, including a possible push on the far right.

“I’m not that optimistic about the decision of the Constitutional Council,” said far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who opposes pension legislation, earlier this week. “But what do you want me to do?” Burn cars? We’ll just say to the French: vote for our party.”

Source: Reuters.