Marine Le Pen‘s National Rally (RN) intends to support a motion by the left-populist France Unbowed (LFI) party to scrap President Emmanuel Macron‘s controversial increase in the state pension age. Led by Jean-Luc Melenchon, LFI is the largest party in the far-left coalition that won the most seats in France’s snap legislative elections.
Macron’s changes to social security, which sparked widespread protests and riots last year, raised the retirement age from 62 to 64. It was implemented despite France allowing mass migration, punching holes in pro-immigration arguments that migrants will pay for pensions and other welfare benefits as Western populations age.
President Donald J. Trump has previously argued that illegal aliens are ruining social security in the U.S. as they are drain public benefits.
As Macron did not have a majority in parliament last year, he used presidential powers that allow the government to force through legislation even without the majority of votes in the National Assembly, but such powers will be harder to deploy now the pro-Macron faction in the legislature has fewer seats than the far left.
Loiret Thomas Ménagé, a National Rally lawmaker, commented on the leftist proposal to repeal Macron’s pension reforms saying, “The only majority available on this text is with the deputies of the RN group. The repeal of the pension reform is also part of our program.”
Marine Le Pen also stated on Tuesday that she intends to table a similar piece of legislation later this year on October 31, saying, “We will then see who will be on the side of social justice… or not!”
While France’s establishment and far-left parties have previously refused to support any legislation tabled by Le Pen‘s party, the RN has supported measures from other parties they have deemed to be in the interests of the French people.
Despite the RN supporting the left on pensions, they have colluded with the Macronist faction to prevent the right-populists—who placed first by share of the popular vote—from gaining any key positions within the new parliament.