The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, has officially promulgated the pension law proposed by his Government, hours after the French Constitutional Council endorsed the main pillars of the controversial reform.

The promulgation is already published in the Official Gazette of the French Republic, which publishes all the regulations that come into force in France. With the phrase “in the first paragraph (of the retirement rule), the word ‘sixty-two’ is replaced by the word ‘sixty-four’“, France raises its retirement age, the point that had generated the most controversy in the unions.

From the Élysée it had already been pointed out that the only thing missing was this approval from the Constitutional Council to take the next step and for Macron to stamp his signature, in a movement that symbolizes a step forward for the Executive after weeks of protests in the streets from France.

magistrates they have knocked down six provisions included in the reform, among them the one known as ‘senior index’, a system with which encourage the hiring of older peoplebut they considered the most controversial aspects of the text to be constitutional.

After this endorsement from the Council, the French unions rejected the president’s invitation Macron to meet this Tuesday, claiming that there will be no dialogue until he withdraws the controversial reform, in addition to calling what is expected to be a large demonstration on May 1.

In the hours before the enactment, there was a last-ditch effort by the presidents of the four parliamentary groups of the New Popular Ecologist and Social Union (NUPES), the coalition of left-wing parties led by Jean-Luc Mélenchon, to start a new process of deliberations of the reform in the Constitutional Assembly.

“Even at night, it’s night”, lamented the vice-president of the French Insoumise parliamentary group and part of NUPES, Alexis Corbière, on his Twitter account, while the “green” deputy Sandrine Rousseau, described the sudden promulgation of the law — French media gave this Friday a few days of respite before the entry into force of the text — as a “irresponsible” decision, which “puts democracy in danger”.

The first reactions union morning meetings have come hand in hand of the railway sector. Julien Troccaz, president of Sud-Rail, who declared himself shocked by the promulgation. “It is clear that tonight, (Emmanuel Macron) has clearly signed the end of his term. It is impossible to believe, given the social fracture, and given the contempt generated by this measure, that we are going to move forward,” he made it known speaking to BFMTV.

More than 100 arrested in the protests

This Friday has marked the twelfth day of protests that have taken place throughout the country and that has ended on this last day with at least 112 arrestsas indicated by the French Security Forces.

Parisian security forces They have dispersed the protesters with batonswho have burned several bicycles in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento, where they have come to meet about 4,000 peopleaccording to figures from the Police Headquarters.

In another part of the capital, another group has spontaneously marched towards the Plaza de la Bastille, where the Police have also had to deploy to disperse the protesters, who have separated into different areas of the capital and they have burned garbage cans along Amelot street.

The same scenario is repeated in other French cities, such as Rennes, where The police have charged against the protesters, who have burned garbage cans and set fire to a police station. In addition, the flames have also devoured the entrance to the Jacobin Convent. At least three people have been arrested in connection with these incidents, according to the Prosecutor’s Office.