French government survives censure motion

France's lower house of parliament, the National Assembly on Thursday rejected a censure motion against the government after the government used a decree to push through controversial economic reforms.

The ruling Socialists survived their first no-confidence vote in parliament with 234 lawmakers backed the motion, falling short of the 289 votes needed for victory.

On Tuesday, Prime Minsiter Manuel Valls had resorted to a 49-3 decree, to push through the law without parliament vote, the first time a government uses force to adopt a bill since 2006.

Pledging to fix economic headaches of the eurozone's second largest economy, Emmanuel Macron, Economy Minister proposed to let shops open up to 12 Sundays a year from five currently, with more flexibility on opening hours in tourist zones.

The law also aimed to open long-distance bus routes and closed professions such as notaries to greater competition.

With the controversial bill, the government wants to avoid sanctions that the European Union (EU) could impose if Paris, the weakest European performer failed to rein in its wide budget deficit, quicken growth and trim unemployment rate currently at 9.9 percent.

The opposition conservatives, centrists and even several lawmakers from the the Socialist camp have accused the government of being too pro-business and and harm France's social model. They submitted a censure motion in parliament after they were refused a vote on the reform bill.

"My first responsibility ... is to make our country advancing and to reform it with determination and by relying on strong institutions," Valls told lawmakers before the motion vote. Endit