Retirement, the key issue of the second round in France and that could define the winner between Macron and Le Pen

Anything to win votes. the president of France, Emmanuel Macrondoes not plan to yield in the second round to the far-right Marine LePenand for this reason he has already said he is willing to modify one of his most emblematic reforms and that he has not been able to materialize in his five years in office: the retirement plan.

From his 2017 electoral program, Macron had raised, in order to continue supporting the pension system. However, thousands of people took to the streets at the end of 2019 against the bill that sought to merge the 42 pension schemes that France currently has into one.

After the demonstrations, the pandemic struck and the reform was shelved.

LOOK: Will France turn its back on Macron? The president who promised a lot [y logró poco] his political future is at stake

For the current campaign, he stuck to his promise, albeit with some variations. However, after the adjusted result of the first round –Macron won with 28% while Le Pen got 23%- the president said this week that , and that the reform will be done at a slower pace.

“If age is not delayed, a minimum pension of 1,100 euros cannot be financed and pensions cannot be indexed”he said this Tuesday at a campaign event in Mulhouse, the city where the leftist candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon won, who came third in the elections and whose seven million voters are now key to tilting the balance.

Emmanuel Macron addresses supporters in Chatenois, near Strasbourg, on his campaign for re-election. REUTERS/Johanna Geron (JOHANNA GERON/)

a thorny issue

“I voted for you, but I’m sorry, you don’t love retirees”a woman told the president in Denain, northern France, one of the poorest cities in the country.

His emblematic promise to reform pensions became a boomerang for Macron, which is now trying to put patches on it so as not to lose votes. However, for several years experts have pointed to the need for some changes.

“The last French governments have faced deficits in the pension system, but have been unable to pass comprehensive reforms. Workers pay a portion of their income to fund retirees’ pensions, but as the French population continues to age, fewer contributors are available, putting the entire system at risk.”Alexandra Kellert, senior analyst at Control Risks, a global risk consultant, explains to this newspaper.

At the end of 2019, thousands of French people took to the streets to protest against the pension reform then proposed by President Macron. AFP / Sameer Al-DOUMY (SAMEER AL-DOUMY/)

Macron has indicated that its objective is to progressively increase the retirement age from 2023 until reaching 65 years in 2032. Thus, the first generation to retire at that age would be the one born in 1969.

“Although right-wing candidates like Le Pen have tried to impose immigration and security as key issues, they have not resonated as well with voters as economic issues”Kellert adds. “This makes a possible pension reform a key issue for the second round. Macron has anticipated this and, after the results of the first round, he said that he was open to debate on the issue. He wants to soften his stance, but the idea of ​​him pushing back the retirement age to 65 is likely to continue to scare off a lot of potential voters.”

LOOK: Why this time it won’t be so easy for Macron to beat Marine Le Pen

But it’s not just retirees scared of what might happen, but many unions who don’t want to lose benefits either.

“Workers linked to state companies and former state companies (railways, gas, electricity, etc.) retain particularly attractive pension systems, financed by specific funds. Macron wants to eliminate these ‘special regimes’, while Le Pen opposes their end.” Kellert explains.

So ending those special regimes can lead to strikes and demonstrations, as happened in 2019. “This is a complex situation for any government, which is why Macron gave up at the end of last year to propose a new system before the elections.”

Marine Le Pen could take victory from Macron on April 24. The far-right has not hesitated to harshly criticize the president’s proposals. (AP Photo/Francois Mori) (Francois Mori/)

What Le Pen offers

the extreme right Marine LePen promised for many years – this is his third presidential election – to lower the minimum retirement age to 60 years, but for these elections he chose to set the mark at 62 years. However, retirement at age 60 will be allowed for those who started working before age 20 and have contributed to the system for at least four decades.

“I don’t trust Macron, nothing, much less ten days before the second round”said the candidate of the National Rally on France Inter radio, for whom with this “maneuver” on the reform of the retirement age, Macron seeks to attract left-wing voters, according to the EFE agency.

Le Pen he is also on the hunt for Mélenchon voters, even though they are on opposite ideological spectrums. However, he can take advantage of the discontent and anger that these voters feel towards Macron, whom they continue to nickname the ‘president of the rich’.

Source: Elcomercio