Protests Renew in France Before Critical Constitutional Council Decision

Protests, strikes, and marches renewed in France on Thursday, following a call from labor unions for a "day of protest" against the pension reform, just one day before a crucial decision from the Constitutional Council regarding this controversial project, which is completely rejected by the unions. The Council will announce whether it will approve or reject, either partially or wholly, the reform that includes raising the legal retirement age from 62 to 64 years. The Ministry of the Interior expects between 400,000 and 600,000 people to take to the streets, compared to 570,000 on April 6 and 740,000 on March 28. Mobilization in the strike is likely to weaken, with disruptions expected to be less than in previous actions across transport sectors, from railways to aviation and the metro. It should be noted that the decision of the Constitutional Council, responsible for ensuring the constitutionality of laws, will be the final step before the text is issued and comes into effect, after the government forced the law through on March 20, based on a constitutional provision allowing the project to be adopted without a vote. French President Emmanuel Macron aims to implement it by the end of this year.