French Prime Minister's No-Confidence Motions All Rejected... Pension Reform Bill Passed

A no-confidence motion against the Prime Minister, aimed at blocking the French government's pension reform bill, was rejected.

On the 20th (local time), the French National Assembly voted on two no-confidence motions proposed by the opposition, resulting in 278 and 94 votes in favor respectively, falling short of the majority. At least 287 votes are required for a no-confidence motion to pass.

The first no-confidence motion, jointly proposed by the Liberties, Independents, Overseas and Territories (LIOT) group and the left-wing coalition NUPES, missed the majority by just 9 votes. The second no-confidence motion, proposed by the far-right National Rally (RN), was expected to lack sufficient support.

Earlier, Prime Minister Borne announced that she would use the emergency legislative authority to bypass the National Assembly vote and directly enact the pension reform bill. In response, the opposition condemned this as a disregard for the parliament and submitted a cabinet no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Borne. With the rejection of the no-confidence motion, the pension reform bill will be pushed through without parliamentary procedures.

However, political turmoil is expected to be inevitable despite the rejection of the no-confidence motion. Recently, France has seen ongoing conflicts and protests surrounding President Emmanuel Macron's pension reform. The bill primarily aims to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 and delay the start of pension benefits. President Macron's approval rating has also dropped to the 28% range.