Pensions: National Assembly Passes Symbolic Resolution Calling for Reform Repeal

More than two years after its controversial adoption, France’s pension reform returned to the parliamentary stage. On Thursday, June 5, lawmakers voted in favor of a resolution urging the repeal of the law that raised the retirement age to 64. While the resolution carries no legal weight, it holds strong political symbolism.

A non-binding vote with clear political intent

Introduced as part of the parliamentary “niche” reserved for the GDR group (Democratic and Republican Left), which includes Communist and overseas deputies, the resolution passed with 198 votes in favor and 35 against. Though purely declarative, the vote marks a political milestone: for the first time, the Assembly formally expressed itself on the pension reform, which was originally pushed through in 2023 using Article 49.3 of the Constitution to avoid a direct vote.

Stéphane Peu, the Communist MP from Seine-Saint-Denis and sponsor of the resolution, denounced what he called “a blatant breach of democratic norms” and likened it to “the greatest democratic wound since the 2005 referendum was disregarded.” He stressed that no vote had been held in the Assembly when the reform was passed.

Broad support from the left, critical backing from the far right

Left-wing parties – including La France Insoumise, the Socialists, and the Greens – rallied behind the resolution. The far-right National Rally (RN) also voted in favor but with reservations. RN lawmaker Théo Bernhardt accused the left of hypocrisy, pointing out that they had rejected a similar RN initiative just months earlier. “Without us, no repeal is possible,” he declared, while still dismissing the Communist-backed text as “ineffective.”

Government majority slams the move as politically hollow

Within the presidential camp, criticism was swift. Renaissance MP Stéphanie Rist condemned the resolution as “lazy and pointless,” arguing that it created the illusion of solutions without proposing any credible financial plan. Labor Minister Astrid Panosyan-Bouvet defended the original reform as a demographic and fiscal necessity: “People are living longer. Whether you like it or not, that impacts the sustainability of the pension system.”

She also defended the government’s handling of the vote in 2023, pointing to the narrowly defeated no-confidence motion that followed the use of Article 49.3: “That vote took place. It was close. And it proved that the government stood its ground democratically.”

The left issues a veiled warning

The resolution’s backers see the vote as a springboard to revive opposition to the reform. Coinciding with a nationwide day of protests called by the CGT, Stéphane Peu used the occasion to issue a clear warning: “If you ignore this vote, rest assured we’ll act accordingly.” A thinly veiled threat of a future motion of no confidence.

A recurring battle, an unresolved divide

This resolution is the latest chapter in a long-standing political battle. Previous attempts to repeal the reform failed due to financial inadmissibility or procedural blockades. Unlike those, a resolution cannot be dismissed on budgetary grounds or amended into paralysis, giving the GDR group a rare procedural opening.

As trade unions and employers conclude their “pension conclave,” the debate surrounding the retirement age remains politically charged. For opponents of the 2023 reform, the fight is far from over. For the government, the matter is settled.