The administration of French President Emmanuel Macron barely avoided a vote of no confidence following its successful implementation of the retirement age increase to 64. It spurred further anti-government demonstrations in Paris, leading to 101 arrests following violent confrontations between protesters and police.
The motion, which was proposed by centrist lawmakers, received 278 yes votes, falling below the 287 required for passage.
If it had succeeded, President Emmanuel Macron would have been obligated to form a new administration or call fresh elections.
The far-right National Rally party's second no-confidence motion was equally unsuccessful. Because of this, the contentious France pension reform to increase the age of retirement from 62 to 64 has passed both votes and will soon be law, the BBC reported.
Votes were taken following Prime Minister élisabeth Borne invoked a constitutional provision known as Article 49:3 to get the law through last week without a vote.
The opposition is planning to challenge the bill before France's top constitutional court to have it overturned in whole or in part. Any concerns with the proposed law might be reviewed by the council for up to a month.
France pension reform Protesters have gathered in downtown Paris after the voting and clashed with police, suggesting that the outcry over the measures is far from over.
When protesters went across the capital, police responded with force. A law enforcement source reported that at least 70 individuals were arrested in the city during the rallies on Monday evening local time, according to CNN.
Emmanuel Macron To Discuss With Allies on Further Actions
French President Emmanuel Macron spoke with allies to figure out the next move on Tuesday.
Members of Congress supporting the president's moderate stance cautioned that the situation was far from finished.
Gilles Le Gendre, a senior MP in Macron's team, remarked that "the president, the government, and the majority" are all "weakened." He added that the passage of the bill does not mean that operations may resume as normal, according to a Reuters report.
French government spokesperson Olivier Veran noted that Emmanuel Macron would make a TV appearance on Wednesday to "outline" measures in moving forward.
On Tuesday, Macron will meet with Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, the leaders of both chambers of parliament, and MPs from his political movement to discuss ways out of the current crisis due to the France pension reform.
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