They themselves add to the slingshot: the majority of retirees now oppose the government’s pension reform, according to the Elabe poll conducted for BFMTV and released on Wednesday. Thus, 59% of them are against this project, an increase of 13 points in one week.
For two weeks, they have been the only socio-professional category that supports the text of the Executive. “At first, retirees said: we are not directly interested,” explains Bernard Sananès, president of the Elabe institute.
“Secondly, they follow the movement of opinion and, finally, they show solidarity with the generations of their children or their grandchildren.” This clear progression can also characterize a “criticism of the government”, according to him. That of thinking that the reform “is going to create disorder.”
“The president has done everything possible to preserve them from this reform”
This opposition is all the more significant since retirees constitute the heart of the electorate of the President of the Republic. “Those over 60 voted overwhelmingly for Emmanuel Macron in the presidential elections,” recalls Amandine Atalaya, a political columnist for BFMTV.
“What is surprising is that the president has done everything possible to preserve them from this reform,” he continues. And to underline: “No effort is asked of them. For example, there is no reduction in pensions for the richest retirees or an increase in the CSG”.
Losing the support of this part of the population is “a real cause for concern” for those in power, according to Amandine Atalaya, who stresses that if retirees and the youngest mobilize, an opposition movement can falter.
Source: BFM TV
