Russia’s Just Russia party that supports President Vladimir Putin has introduced a bill to reverse a recent unpopular pension reform and lower retirement ages to their previous levels, RIA news agency quoted the party leader as saying on Wednesday.

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Putin, who once promised to never raise the retirement age, approved a gradual pension age increase in October 2018 despite mass street protests and public discontent as Russia sought ways to relieve pressure on the state budget.

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“We propose returning the pension age to the previous level,” RIA quoted Sergei Mironov of Just Russia as saying. “Women must retire at 55, men – at 60. This is our committed position.”

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Mironov’s initiative comes months before September elections to the lower house of parliament, or the Duma, where Russia’s ruling United Russia party, which also supports Putin, has the majority.

Russia’s current pension reform envisages a gradual increase of the retirement age to 65 from 60 for men and to 63 from 55 for women.

The reform was designed to allow the government to raise pension payments while freeing up state funds that could be spent on supporting the economy amid Western financial and economic sanctions.

The retirement age increases became one of the most unpopular government measures since a 2005 move to scrap Soviet-era benefits and have shaved around 15 percentage points off Putin’s popularity rating.

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