Germany's Merz secures absolute majority for pensions bill

BERLIN, Dec 5 - German Chancellor Friedrich Merz secured an absolute majority for his pensions bill in parliament on Friday despite an earlier revolt by younger lawmakers in his conservatives that had highlighted his uncertain control of his own party.

The bill, which secures pensions at current levels, passed with 319 votes in favor, meaning more than half of all members of the Bundestag and indicating it likely passed without aid from the opposition.

Anything else would have been a major blow to the authority of a chancellor struggling to tame his unruly coalition of conservatives and centre-left Social Democrats (SPD) and pass reforms to revive an ailing economy and rebuild Germany's long-neglected armed forces.

The coalition has a slender majority of 12 votes in parliament. But Friday's bill, which fixes pensions at current levels through 2031, had faced opposition from the conservatives' youth faction, which has 18 votes.

Those lawmakers argued the plans perpetuated a financially unsustainable system, leaving younger generations to foot the bill, and had left it unclear which way they would vote.

Pensions and generational fairness are turning into key political flashpoints across Europe as populations age and public finances tighten.

The opposition far-left Left Party had even made a last-minute intervention, offering to abstain so the coalition would need fewer votes to pass the bill, in order to protect pensioners.

Analysts said it would have been humiliating for the chancellor to have to rely on the support of the opposition and in particular a party with which his conservatives have a formal "non-cooperation resolution".

Even though Merz avoided that scenario, infighting over the package has heightened doubt about the coalition's ability to push through key legislation following a series of blunders this year, they say. REUTERS