A vote of no confidence in President Macron’s government failed in the French parliament. The motion was brought forward because Macron pushed his controversial pension plans last week by bypassing Parliament. The retirement age will rise from September.

287 votes were needed to pass the motion, but in the end nine votes were too few. Parliamentarians negotiated the issue until the last minute.

Had the proposal been passed, the government would have fallen, and the pension scheme abolished. The vote will not have any consequences for President Macron personally, regardless of the outcome, he may remain in office as president.

The vote of no confidence came against the Macron government’s plan to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64. There was no majority for this in Parliament. Then the president decided to bypass parliament and pass the law anyway. This is permitted by the constitution in some cases.

In France, there was great dissatisfaction with the plan to raise the retirement age for months, but after Macron’s decision, the dissatisfaction grew. Protests took place across the country and hundreds of thousands took to the streets. Clashes took place with the police in several cities.

There were strikes in the education, railway and refinery sectors, and several members of Parliament were threatened. There was another strike today, including transport and garbage collectors.

Macron has already announced in his campaign for re-election in 2022 that he wants to raise the retirement age. The retirement age is a hot topic in France. The pension system is also considered a social right by young people.