MPs Marina Tauber and Reghina Apostolova of the Shor Party have filed a constitutional challenge over “scandalous and anti-popular” amendments adopted last December that raise the minimum pension age.

The lawmakers said in a press release that the measure “violates fundamental human rights in a number of ways”.

Besides taking the state pension age to 63 years for both women and men, the new law also increases the full contributory period to 34 years. This, argue Tauber and Apostolova, affects women the most, as due to maternity leaves and other “objective reasons” few of them can meet this temporal requirement.

Also, the contributory period in respect of early pensions for long career does not include studies, military service or maternity leaves. “In practice, it’s impossible to reach this standard. People, especially women, have to abstain from studies and from giving birth, and have to work all their lives just to be able to retire two years earlier”, say the lawmakers.