French President Emmanuel Macron's unpopular plan to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 was enacted into law Saturday. The authorized changes will start being implemented in September.
Fears that violence could mar the demonstrations against President Macron's unpopular pension reforms has led to deployment of 13,000 officers, nearly half of them concentrated in the French capital.
Workers already refused to roll out the red carpet for the British monarch's arrival, originally scheduled for Sunday. The French are protesting a decision to raise the retirement age to 64 from 62.
The motions were filed by lawmakers angry with President Macron for forcing through an unpopular bill raising the retirement age from 62 to 64. It's been 60 years since a no-confidence motion passed.
France's president pushed through the controversial bill via a special constitutional power. The move, which will raise the retirement age to 64 from 62, is expected to trigger a no-confidence motion.
The National Assembly elects Yael Braun-Pivet as speaker as it prepares to tackle proposals on fighting inflation and enshrining abortion rights in the French Constitution.
Sunday's contest has implications for the spread of far-right ideology, France's relationship with the rest of Europe and the country's posture toward Russia.
While France is a major player in NATO, President Macron has also been actively pushing for dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The two are set to meet Monday one-on-one.
It's been two years since the heads of most leading economies met in person. "We can finally look at the future with great — or with some — optimism," said Italy's Mario Draghi, the summit host.
World leaders, including President Trump, attended a virtual donor summit Sunday for recovery efforts after last week's blast. The event was co-hosted by the U.N. and French President Emmanuel Macron.
