French President Emmanuel Macron's government has resorted to using special powers to pass a controversial reform, raising the retirement age from 62 to 64, to avoid a knife-edge vote in the country's National Assembly.
This move triggered chaos in the assembly as left-wing politicians chanted "Resign!" and sang lines of the national anthem.
The prime minister invoked article 49: 3 of the constitution, enabling the government to bypass a vote in the assembly, citing that the reforms are essential to ensure the pension system does not go bust.
The plan had already passed in the upper house, but ministers worried they might not get the support of MPs.
In further detail, Macron had proposed raising the retirement age in order not to bankrupt the country's pension system as the population's life expectancy has increased.
The Independent noted that this move also revealed his failure to build a political consensus with other parties, and the opposition may use this as momentum for votes of no-confidences which could topple his government.
Sky News highlighted the chaotic scenes as left-wing politicians protested against the reform, while the BBC News reported on the government's determination to push through the pension reforms to secure the future for France's pension system.