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Russian lawmakers have overwhelmingly approved President Vladimir Putin's proposal to raise the retirement age for women by five years instead of eight under pension-reform legislation that has prompted large protests, RFE/RL reports.

The proposed change was backed by 385 members of the 450-seat State Duma, the lower parliament house, deputy speaker Sergei Neverov said after the vote on September 26.

There were protests outside the Duma, but Neverov said there were no abstentions and no votes against Putin's proposed change, which appeared aimed to decrease public anger over the planned retirement-age hike.

In June, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev announced that after many years without a change, the government was submitting legislation that would increase the retirement age for men from 60 to 65 by 2028 and for women from 55 to 63 by 2034.

The pension-reform plan swiftly led to protests and dented Putin's approval rating despite several weeks of efforts to distance himself from the idea.

Putin finally weighed in with a televised address to the nation on August 29, proposing that the retirement age for women be raised to 60 rather than 63.

If it is passed in a third and final Duma reading, it would go to the upper house, and then to Putin for his signature.

Experts have warned for years that a combination of factors including life expectancy, the labor force, and long-term budget forecasts require immediate changes to Russia's pension system, but Putin and his government had held off on seeking changes during his previous terms in office.