French Lawmakers File Rival Motions of No Confidence in Government Over Pension Reform

PARIS (Sputnik) - French lawmakers from the left and right of the spectrum filed motions of no confidence in the government after it pushed a controversial pension reform through the parliament on Saturday.

"We have just lodged our motion of public censure," Jean-Luc Melenchon, the leader of the leftist France Unbowed, said on Twitter, where he posted the photo of the document signed by 63 legislators.

— Jean-Luc Mélenchon (@JLMelenchon) February 29, 2020

​Another motion was filed by the right-wing Republicans of former President Nicolas Sarkozy, according to the French BFMTV channel.

Prime Minister Edouard Philippe invoked a power granted to him by the constitution. It allows a French prime minister to push a bill through the parliament without a vote if deemed necessary. The reform was in for a long debate after the opposition proposed over 40,000 amendments.