The French government has survived two no-confidence votes brought by opposition lawmakers on Monday over hugely unpopular pension reforms.
Nevertheless, Emmanuel Macron continues to face protests and strikes over his decision to use executive powers to push through an unpopular rise in the pension age.
Opposition politicians in parliament accused him of arrogance, denying democracy and failing to learn from the gilets jaunes (yellow vests) anti-government protest movement four years ago.
The poll in the National Assembly on Monday was triggered by the head of state raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 without a parliamentary vote.
The no-confidence motion filed by a small group called Liot garnered support from 278 members of parliament in the National Assembly, falling short by only 9 votes, an unexpectedly close result.
A separate one filed by Marine Le Pen’s National Rally party only received 94 votes because other opposition parties remain wary of teaming up with the far-right party.
The no-confidence motions were the result of Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne triggering the 49.3 clause of the French constitution last week, passing the draft law without a parliamentary vote.
Now that the motions have failed, the pensions reform raising the retirement age by two years to 64 can be adopted and the Borne government will remain in place.
Soon after the vote, small groups of protesters gathered around parliament and clashed with police.
The new changes mean the minimum general retirement age will rise from 62 to 64, some public sector workers will lose privileges and there will be an accelerated increase in the number of years of work required to qualify for a full pension.
Macron is presently under pressure to address the nation and clarify how he intends for the government to keep working, and whether there could be a reshuffle.
