Despite surviving two no-confidence votes in the French parliament on Monday, President Emmanuel Macron’s administration is still under a lot of criticism for how it handled a contentious pensions reform.
Elisabeth Borne, the prime minister, sparked accusations of anti-democratic behavior last week by declaring the government would impose the pension reform without a parliamentary vote.
As a consequence, the opposition submitted two motions of no confidence in the government.
The first motion, put forth by the left-leaning LIOT coalition and backed by 577 members of the National Assembly, was defeated by a much narrower margin of nine votes than anticipated.
With only 94 votes in favor, it then soundly defeated a resolution put forth by the extreme right National Rally (RN).
The legislature has now approved the change to increase the pension age from 62 to 64 as a result of the motions’ rejection.
Borne has asked the Constitutional Court to review the law, as is usual in such circumstances, while the left has asked the court for a referendum on the subject.
“I am determined to continue to carry out the necessary transformations in our country with my ministers and to devote all my energy to meeting the expectations of our fellow citizens,” Borne said in a statement to AFP after the votes.
But it far from represents the end of the biggest domestic crisis of the second mandate in office of Macron, who has yet to make any public comment on the controversy.
Spontaneous protests erupted in the centre of Paris late Monday with protesters setting fire to bins and clashing with police in some areas, AFP reporters said.
