A coalition of French lawmakers on Friday filed a no confidence motion against President Emmanuel Macron following chaotic scenes in the country's lower house of parliament the day before.

Despite frantic last-minute negotiations and number-crunching, Macron calculated he did not have enough votes in the National Assembly to pass his controversial and long-standing plan to raise the retirement age.

So he resorted to the back-up plan that many — including within his party — opposed; using a special constitutional power to force it through without a parliamentary majority.

The measure, which means the national retirement age will go from 62 to 64 for most workers, was announced by Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, who was met with chants, jeers and boos from lawmakers.

The reaction was fierce. Union CFDT called it a "true denial of democracy" and called on local unions to rally over the weekend, and for a big day of strikes and protest action on March 23.

Around 7,000 people gathered to protest on the Place de la Concorde in Paris on Thursday evening, Reuters reported, where police used tear gas and charged at protesters.

A coalition of left-wing lawmakers filed one no confidence motion, which is being backed by leftist leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon. Another has been filed by the far-right National Rally party of Marine Le Pen, now led by Jordan Bardella, which has said it will vote in favor of any no-confidence motion.