| Backlash as Macron rams through retirement change |
| Emmanuel Macron, the French president, opted to push through legislation to raise the retirement age to 64 from 62 without a full parliamentary vote, a decision certain to inflame an already tense confrontation over the measure. Opponents across the political spectrum burst into rounds of the “Marseillaise” and pounded on their desks in response. |
| For some, Macron’s decision smacks of the kind of contempt and aloofness of which he has sometimes been accused. During his second term, he has tried hard to project a milder image — more ready to listen and less inclined to rule alone. But the confrontation over his pension plan has revealed a more isolated president, with fewer allies. |
| The decision to avoid a National Assembly vote, which will be regarded by Macron’s political opponents as antidemocratic even though it is legal, came after two months of major demonstrations and intermittent strikes. Millions of French people have said they see the changes as an assault on their way of life. |
| Background: The Senate, or upper house, approved the bill early Thursday. But disarray in the lower house occurred because Macron’s Renaissance party does not hold a parliamentary majority. Even the center-right Republicans, who once pushed for raising the retirement age to 65, were hesitant to support Macron as nationwide protests against the measure grew. |
