French pension reforms: The Constitutional Council approves a 64-year-old age limit

France's top constitutional body has cleared the Macron government's move to raise the state pension age from 62 to 64, rejecting calls for a referendum and striking out some of the reforms citing legal flaws. Twelve days of protests have been held against the reforms since January. Trade unions made a last-ditch appeal to the president not to sign the pension-age increase into law, facing the public's "massive rejection". The Nupes political alliance was one of the groups that lodged an appeal with the court, and Marine Le Pen of the far-right National Rally responded on social media that the political fate of the reform is not sealed. The court rejected an initial bid for a referendum on the reforms, but it will decide next month on a further proposal for a national vote by the left. French political analyst Antoine Bristielle said there is still 70% of the French population against the reform. France's top constitutional body has cleared the Macron government's move to raise the state pension age from 62 to 64, rejecting calls for a referendum and striking out some of the reforms citing legal flaws. Twelve days of protests have been held against the reforms since January. Trade unions made a last-ditch appeal to the president not to sign the pension-age increase into law, facing the public's "massive rejection". The Nupes political alliance was one of the groups that lodged an appeal with the court, and Marine Le Pen of the far-right National Rally responded on social media that the political fate of the reform is not sealed. The court rejected an initial bid for a referendum on the reforms, but it will decide next month on a further proposal for a national vote by the left. French political analyst Antoine Bristielle said there is still 70% of the French population against the reform.