London: French President Emmanuel Macron’s government has narrowly survived a no confidence motion sparked by its decision to bypass the National Assembly to push through a deeply unpopular change to the pension system.

A vote brought on by a centrist party which also had the backing of several left-wing parties such as the Green Party and the Socialist Party, fell just nine short of the 287 needed for it to succeed, attracting some 278 MPs.

A second motion of no confidence, tabled by the far-right National Rally won just 94 votes in the chamber after other opposition parties said they would not vote for it.

The speaker of the National Assembly, Yael Braun-Pivet, said the failure of both votes meant parliament had adopted the pension bill.

A successful no-confidence vote would have almost certainly brought down the government, probably forcing new elections. The legislation increases the retirement age by two years to 64. It still faces a review by the Constitutional Council before it can be signed into law.

Opposition parties will challenge the bill in the council, which could decide to strike down some or all of it – if it considers it breaches the constitution but in the past it has tended to approve changes.

Violent unrest has erupted across the country and trade unions promised to intensify their strike action, leaving Macron to face the most dangerous challenge to his authority since the “yellow vest” uprising over four years ago.

Macron’s decision to use special constitutional powers, known as 49.3, to force the legislation through last week angered many, with protesters clashing with police at the weekend over the reforms. Thousands lit fires around the country and some threw firecrackers at police.