Left-wing French MPs applaud following the adoption of the suspension of the pension reform at the Assemblée Nationale, in Paris on November 12, 2025. THOMAS SAMSON / AFP
French lawmakers voted to back the suspension of a contentious 2023 pensions reform on Wednesday, November 12, but the vote marks only the first hurdle before the measure can be adopted.
The debate comes after Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu in October promised to postpone the unpopular pension measure, which includes raising the age of retirement from 62 to 64, in a bid to survive a confidence vote in the legislative chamber. A previous government in 2023 had rammed the reform through Parliament without a vote, using a controversial constitutional power to do so and sparking months of protests.
Lawmakers in France's lower house on Wednesday voted 255 votes to 146 to back delaying the revised pension plan until January 2028, as part of a broader effort to push through a much-needed budget before the end of the year. But there is still a long way to go for the suspension to be fully adopted.
Read more What does a 'suspension' of France's pension reform actually mean?
