French President Nicolas Sarkozy was victorious over the widespread protests against raising the retirement age by two years. The bill became law on Wednesday after passing through the French Parliament and being approved by a constitutional watchdog group. Workers and students have been staging widespread protests against the measure, and strikes caused travel problems and gas shortages across the country. Sarkozy said that the reform was necessary for the French pension system.
See "French retirement age change to 62 becomes law", Guardian Unlimited (UK), November 9, 2010