On Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron enforced a widely unpopular measure to increase the retirement age from 62 to 64, using a special constitutional power to bypass parliament.

As Macron made the controversial decision to impose the retirement age bill, lawmakers were heard shouting, their voices full of emotion, the Associated Press reported.

This move is expected to lead to immediate motions of no-confidence in his government. Outside the National Assembly, crowds gathered and riot police vans rushed by with their sirens blaring.

Since January, proposed pension changes have sparked significant strikes and protests throughout France. Despite major opposition, French President Emmanuel Macron has championed the reform as a flagship of his second term, arguing that it is necessary to prevent the pension system from plunging into a deficit as the country’s population ages and life expectancy increases.

During a Cabinet meeting at the Elysee presidential palace, just a few minutes before the scheduled vote in France’s lower house of parliament, President Macron invoked a special power because he had no guarantee of a majority.

Written by staff