French government survives first no-confidence vote in pensions bill row

People protest against the retirement bill in Paris on Monday (Lewis Joly/AP)

The French government has survived a no-confidence vote in the lower chamber of parliament and is expected to survive a second one, after its push last week to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64.

The no-confidence motion filed by a small centrist group and supported by a coalition from the left received 278 votes on Monday, falling short of the 287 needed to pass.