The French Government faced two no-confidence votes in parliament on Monday after pushing through an unpopular pension overhaul without a final vote by lawmakers.
The motions were filed by Marine Le Pen’s right-wing National Rally and the small centrist LIOT bloc after the government used its executive powers to raise the pension age from 62 to 64.
President Emmanuel Macron’s plan triggered weeks of mass street protests and crippling nationwide strikes.
Last week’s decision to bypass parliament only inflamed tensions.
In spite of the uproar, it was considered unlikely that either of the no-confidence motions would succeed.
None of the other opposition parties supports the motion by the National Rally.
While LIOT had received backing from the left-wing alliance NUPES, its still not enough.
A motion could pass if many members of parliament from the conservative Les Républicains join in, but the party approved of Macron’s change.
Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire told the newspaper Le Parisien over the weekend that there would not be a majority to bring down the government.
The government of Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne pushed through the reform on Thursday by resorting to a particular article in the constitution.
In doing so, it prevented a last-minute vote in the National Assembly in order to avoid a possible embarrassing defeat.
Over the weekend, there were more nationwide demonstrations and riots.
The protests are expected to continue.
