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The French government has decided to skip the parliamentary vote process and push for pension reform. In urgent cases, it was decided to exercise the power of a constitutional provision that the government could legislate without a parliamentary vote, which was strongly opposed by the opposition and unions.

In Paris, Kwak Sang is a correspondent.

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Ahead of the House vote on the
pension reform bill, French Prime Minister Born stood at the podium in parliament.

Prime Minister Born announced that he would skip parliamentary votes in urgent circumstances and exercise the powers of Article 49(3) of the Constitution, which provides for the government to legislate.

[Born/French Prime Minister: We can't gamble on the future of our pension system because of a few uncertain votes, because this reform is necessary.]

Opposition lawmakers opposed to pension reform interrupted the prime minister's speech by singing the national anthem, and some walked away in the middle of the speech.

The pension reform bill passed by the government aims to extend the retirement age from the current age of 62 to 2030 by two years until 64 and to delay pension entitlements by the same amount.

It included allowing early retirement for those who enter the labour market early and pension bonuses of up to 2% for working mothers who are prone to career breakdowns.

After three months of strikes and protests, unions and citizens protested strongly.

[Citizens against pension reform: The government's decision is appalling, it renders meaningless to months of parliamentary debate and protests.]

Opposition parties, which have opposed the pension reform, have also opposed the government's decision and said they would consider submitting a motion of no confidence in the prime minister, putting Macron's leadership to the test.

(Video Interview: Kim Si-si, Video Editing: Won Hyung-hee)