(MENAFN) French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has signaled his support for suspending the controversial 2023 pension reforms, aiming to shore up backing ahead of no-confidence votes scheduled later this week. The reforms, which raised the retirement age from 62 to 64, were a hallmark of President Emmanuel Macron’s administration.

Speaking in parliament, Lecornu said, “This autumn I will propose to parliament that we suspend the 2023 pension reform until the [2027] presidential election,” receiving applause from left-wing lawmakers. Reappointed only four days after his brief resignation, Lecornu now requires Socialist Party support to maintain his government.

Far-right and far-left opposition parties have called censure motions for Thursday, demanding new parliamentary elections. Socialist MPs indicated they would back the government only if the pension reforms are completely suspended. Socialist lawmaker Laurent Baumel warned, “If he does not explicitly say the words 'immediate and complete suspension of the pension reform', it will be censure. He is holding his destiny in his own hands. He knows what he has do if he doesn't want to be the prime minister who resigns every week.”

The 2023 pension changes were enacted using a constitutional mechanism known as 49:3 after months of strikes, street protests, and parliamentary debate, bypassing a formal vote. Lecornu acknowledged last week that the process left many citizens feeling it was a “wound on democracy.”

On Tuesday, he outlined the financial impact of suspending the reforms: €400 million (£350 million) in 2026 and €1.8 billion (£1.57 billion) in 2027, which would need to be offset through other savings. Lecornu, France’s third prime minister in a year, faces the additional challenge of passing a budget that addresses a projected deficit of 5.4% of GDP, while public debt stands at €3.4 trillion—nearly 114% of GDP, the third highest in the eurozone after Greece and Italy.

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