London: French President Emmanuel Macron’s government has narrowly survived a no confidence motion sparked by its decision to bypass the National Assembly to push through a deeply unpopular change to the pension system.

A vote brought on by a centrist party which also had the backing of several left-wing parties such as the Green Party and the Socialist Party, fell just nine short of the 287 needed for it to succeed, attracting some 278 MPs.

Far-left lawmakers react as they hold papers reading: “64 years. It is no”, “appointment in the street”, “we are continuing”, at the National Assembly in Paris.Credit:AP

A second motion of no confidence, tabled by the far-right National Rally will not succeed after other opposition parties said they would not vote for it.

A successful no-confidence vote would have almost certainly brought down the government, probably forcing new elections and killed the legislation, which increases the retirement age by two years to 64.

Violent unrest has erupted across the country and trade unions have promised to intensify their strike action, leaving Macron to face the most dangerous challenge to his authority since the “Yellow Vest” uprising over four years ago.

Macron’s decision to use special constitutional powers, known as 49.3, has angered many in France, with protesters clashing with police at the weekend over the reforms. Thousands lit fires around the country and some threw firecrackers at police.

A protester walks past burning garbage during a protest in Paris.Credit:AP

A ninth nationwide day of strikes and protests is scheduled on Thursday.

Union and protesters said they would carry on with strikes and protests in the coming days.
Charles de Courson, France’s longest-serving MP and the author of one of the two no-confidence votes, told France Inter radio that bringing the government down was “the only way of stopping the social and political crisis in this country”.

Macron’s allies are in a minority in the lower house of the National Assembly, but for the no-confidence motions to succeed, all of the opposition would have to unite.

France’s Republican party holds 61 seats, and last week their leader, Eric Ciotti, said they would not support the no-confidence motions.

But the outcome of the vote suggests that some 20 representatives from the centre-right party Les Republicains supported the no-confidence motion, or about one-third of their parliamentary group.

Aurélien Pradié, a Republican MP who led a small rebellion within his party to the pension bill, told BFMTV that the vote’s result did nothing to change the state of tension.

“One would have to be absolutely blind to be content and satisfied with this situation,” he said, as he urged Macron to withdraw the overhaul, even now that it had passed.

French President Emmanuel Macron.Credit:AP

Opposition parties will also challenge the bill in the constitutional council, which could decide to strike down some or all of it – if it considers it breaches the constitution.

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