Former French President Criticizes Macron's 'Brutal' Draft Pension Reform

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st February, 2023) Former French President Francois Hollande has criticized the draft pension reform proposed by the government of current President Emmanuel Macron, calling it "unfair and brutal" in an interview with the Politico newspaper published on Wednesday.

Earlier in January, French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne unveiled a draft of the controversial pension reform that the government plans to adopt in 2023. According to the draft, the French authorities will gradually raise the retirement age in the country by three months a year from September 1, 2023. By 2030, the retirement age will reach 64 years.

"Did the president choose the right time? Given the succession of crises and with elevated inflation, the French want to be reassured. Did the government propose the right reform? I don't think so either � it's seen as unfair and brutal. But now that a parliamentary process has been set into motion, the executive will have to strike a compromise or take the risk of going all the way and raising the level of anger," Hollande told the newspaper.

The first nationwide strike against pension reform took place across France on January 19, during which eight of the country's largest trade unions held more than 200 demonstrations. An estimated 1 million people took part in the protests, the French Interior Ministry said. On Tuesday, more than 87,000 people reportedly took part in the second demonstration against pension reform held in Paris.