French government narrowly survives no-confidence votes, pension reforms to go ahead

 

It seems that the French government narrowly survived a vote of no-confidence that was triggered by its decision to increase the retirement age from 62 to 64 without a vote in parliament. 

Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne invoked article 49:3 of the constitution, which allowed the government to bypass a potential vote they could lose. 

However, this procedure also allowed the opposition parties to table a no-confidence vote, which failed to reach the necessary votes.

The controversial pension reform legislation will now become law, despite protests and demonstrations that have turned violent in certain cities. 

The move has made France appear unreformable, especially when compared to the more gradual changes to pension age in other European countries. 

While Macron justifies the change by citing the country's aging population, not all members of parliament agree with him.