Members of France’s National Assembly on Wednesday approved controversial measures to change the country’s constitution following the deadly attacks that struck Paris in November, with senators scheduled to examine the bill next month, reports FRANCE 24.
The 317-199 vote in the lower house of Parliament was the first hurdle towards the adoption of the reforms, which have been championed by Prime Minister Manuel Valls but have faced stiff resistance from many members of his own ruling Socialist Party.
The bill, if adopted definitively, would enshrine the enactment of a state of emergency into France’s constitution and allow authorities to strip French nationality from people convicted of terrorism charges.
Many left-wing leaders in France, including Socialist Party lawmakers, have expressed indignation at the idea of revoking someone’s citizenship, and refused to vote for the bill.
Justice minister Christiane Taubira resigned last month in protest, publishing a fiery essay in opposition to the reform only days after stepping down.
While a majority of Socialist Party MP’s voted in favour of the measure (165), as many as 83 fellow Socialists voted against the bill on Wednesday. An additional 51 abstained.
The package of measures is still far from being definitively adopted. It needs to be debated and voted by the Senate and ultimately requires a three-fifths majority vote from lawmakers of both houses at an extraordinary parliamentary session in Versailles.
All but five of the 33 MPs from France’s Green party and Left Front coalition voted against the measure, which, by leaving a person stateless, could be in conflict with France’s obligations under international law.
A majority of MPs from the main conservative opposition group Les Républicains backed the anti-terror bill, but 74 of them also voted against it.
Read more of this report from FRANCE 24.
See also:
French MPs' absence in key debate highlights parliament's weakness
How plan to remove French nationality has become a farce
Removing French nationality: the slippery slope
France: a government outside the law, a state out of control