Russian Communists push for a national referendum against raising the retirement age

Russia’s Central Election Commission has received a notice from the Communist Party about possibly holding a national referendum on raising the country’s retirement age, according to the commission’s secretary, Maya Grishina. It’s still unclear when the referendum would take place, but the commission has 10 days to respond to the notice.

Communist Party officials say the referendum would feature a single question: “Do you agree that the age in the Russian Federation at which citizens are entitled to old-age social insurance should not increase?”

On July 19, thanks to nearly unanimous support from United Russia deputies, the State Duma passed the first reading of draft legislation to raise the country’s retirement age from 60 to 65 for men by 2028, and from 55 to 63 for women by 2034. Lawmakers from every other party with seats in the parliament voted against the bill.