Chamber of Deputies suspend approval of pension reforms, debate to continue on Friday

On Wednesday afternoon, members of the Czech Chamber of Deputies adjourned the discussion of pension reform until Friday morning, following the blocking by opposition parties of a motion to continue the debate into the evening. Andrej Babiš, leader of the opposition ANO party, called the proposed amendment to pension legislation a scam that will “rob” pensioners and workers.

In particular, Babiš and Tomio Okamura (Freedom and Direct Democracy party) rejected the proposed extension of the retirement age to 67 and a reduction in the calculation of new pensions, which, according to the government, would improve the sustainability of pensions and reduce the deficit of the pension system.