Protests escalate as Macron overrides parliament to pass pension reform in France

Police clashed with protesters in Paris after the French government took the decision to force through pension reforms without voting in parliament.

People gathered on Place de la Concorde to protest against the increase in the retirement age from 62 to 64. As protests escalated, tear gas was fired by the police as they tried to disperse the crowd. Protesters were seen throwing cobblestones.

Special constitutional powers were used by the French government to force through the pension reforms bill amid chaos in parliament as radical left MPs started singing La Marseillaise loudly to stop French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne from speaking.

A last-minute decision was taken by French President Emmanuel Macron to avoid a parliamentary vote and pass the legislation to increase the pension age from 62 to 64.

Minutes before the country's MPs were to cast vote in the lower house, Macron was busy conducting frantic meetings with senior political figures, and in minutes, he decided to use special powers and not take the risk of voting, in which he had chances of losing.

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Macron invoked the constitution's article 49.3 which gives the government the power to bypass parliament. On the left, MPs shouted “Resign! Resign!” at Borne, and radical left party France Unbowed's members sang the national anthem loudly so that Borne is not able to speak and the session gets suspended.

Speaking at the parliament, Borne said that they will push the bill through because the government cannot afford to “gamble the future of our pensions”.

The bill was earlier adopted by the Senate on Thursday. However, since the right-wing opposition MPs present in the National Assembly were reluctant to support Macron, the government had a fair chance of facing defeat in the lower house.

"We can't take the risk of seeing 175 hours of parliamentary debate come to nothing," Borne said while announcing the move.

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen said, "It's a total failure for the government. From the beginning the government fooled itself into thinking it had a majority."

As per the polls, around two-thirds of citizens in France oppose the pension overhaul.

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"When a president has no majority in the country, no majority in the National Assembly, he must withdraw his bill," said Socialist Party chief Olivier Faure.

Few opposition parties, including Le Pen's, are likely to call a no-confidence vote on Friday, however, the cabinet of Borne is likely to survive because of support from the right-wing Republicans party.

Immediately after the step, Unions called for mass strikes and protests for the next day, as they called the government's move "a complete denial of democracy".

(With inputs from agencies)

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