Macron at Risk as Tension Run High Over Pension Plan (+Video)

French lawmakers are set to vote on a pension reform bill that has caused much controversy, with scuffles breaking out in Paris as demonstrators gathered to protest the bill.

The bill proposes to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64, a move that President Emmanuel Macron hoped would establish his legacy as the president who transformed France's economy.

However, his leadership is contested, both in parliament and on the streets of Paris, and his brazen move to force through the bill has angered the political opposition.

The National Assembly was set to vote on the bill, but Macron, at the last minute, invoked the government’s constitutional power to pass the bill without a vote, enraging citizens who view him as "the president of the rich."

The move has also damaged the government's ability to pass legislation for the remainder of Macron's term. France's powerful labor unions have organized spontaneous, sometimes violent protests, contrasting with the largely peaceful demonstrations previously organized by the major unions.

While Macron campaigned on a pro-business agenda and pledged to address the pension issue, his centrist alliance lost its parliamentary majority in June.

Nevertheless, he retains substantial powers over foreign policy, European affairs, and defense. If a no-confidence motion succeeds, the cabinet would have to resign, and Macron's ability to get legislation passed would weaken.

The situation is viewed as a boon for far-right leader Marine Le Pen and her National Rally party, “which continues its strategy of both ‘getting respectable’ and opposing Macron,” and France's labor unions. The unpopularity of the pension plan means an early parliamentary election is unlikely, as Macron's alliance would be unlikely to secure a majority of seats.