Poland to submit retirement age issue to referendum

Poles will be asked in the planned national referendum if they support raising the retirement age, Beata Szydło, a member of the European Parliament and former Polish prime minister, said in a video posted across social media channels, Report informs referring to Radio Poland.

The former prime minister said that the second question asked of voters in the referendum will be: "Are you in favor of raising the retirement age, currently set at 60 years for women and 65 for men?"

The retirement age remains a divisive issue in Polish society. The previous centrist government of Civic Platform (PO) and Polish People’s Party (PSL) raised it to 67 years for both men and women.

However, after the conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party took power in 2015, it lowered it again to 65 years for men and 60 for women.

In the first question of the planned national referendum, Poles will be asked if they support the sale of state-owned companies, the leader of the ruling conservatives, Jarosław Kaczyński, announced.