The French Senate passed an article on Wednesday night to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64, a key element of the reform being pushed by President Emmanuel Macron. This is reported by AFP and Agerpres.

This vote, which is crucial for the executive, intervenes in a full mobilization against a project that affects one of the pillars of the social system in France.

After the success of social mobilization on Tuesday, a seventh day of national action is planned for Saturday, and several sectors of the economy (transport, energy, etc.) remain disrupted by strikes and spontaneous work stoppages.

Relying on the mobilization of millions of French since January, the unions asked for an “urgent” reception of President Macron, who has so far refused and hopes to exhaust the movement.

The green light, given by the right-wing Senate by a vote of 201 to 115, is for the most contested provision of the reform, which according to all opinion polls remains deeply unpopular.

What happens after the vote in the French Senate to raise the retirement age

The adoption of the rule on raising the retirement age is a victory for the executive power, which is trying to speed up the parliamentary procedure, avoiding recourse to Article 49-3 of the Constitution, which allows the adoption of the text without a vote.

“I’m glad the debate allowed this vote,” tweeted Prime Minister Elizabeth Bourne, who could count on the votes of Republican senators (right).

In the National Assembly (the lower house of the legislature), where the government has only a relative majority, the corresponding article could not even be considered due to the opposition, as well as a very tight schedule of discussions imposed by the government.

The executive branch now hopes the Senate will vote on the entire text by its self-imposed deadline of Sunday.

Under this scenario, a joint committee of senators and deputies will meet to try to agree on the text, after which the final adoption of the reform could take place on March 16, AFP explains.