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Russia’s Parliament on Wednesday unanimously approved President Vladimir Putin’s amendments to a deeply unpopular pension reform plan that has led to a rare outburst of public anger in the country. Parliament’s lower house, the State Duma, approved Mr. Putin’s proposal to soften the reform, raising the state pension age for women by five years to 60, instead of eight years to 63. In a rare televised address in August, Mr. Putin proposed a number of concessions, in an apparent attempt to stem a major fall in his approval ratings. “We have reached a consensus on this matter and everyone has supported the President’s amendments,” said Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin on Wednesday. The reform Bill was approved by the State Duma in a first reading in July. It has to be approved in a key second and third reading before being signed into law by Mr. Putin. The reform — that would see Russian men retire at 65 instead 60 — has sparked a rare outburst of public anger. Street protests have continued and the Kremlin faced a rare electoral crisis after candidates of the ruling party failed to win governorship polls in four regions this month. Given the low life expectancy of Russian men, 65 years, many would not live long enough to receive a state pension.
