The French parliament yesterday adopted a constitutional amendment in
Versailles, west of Paris, formally abolishing the death penalty in the country.
The amendment, which won support from the majority of the nearly 900
legislators, says "no one can be sentenced to the death penalty" in France.
Although France banned the capital punishment with a 1981 law, President
Jacques Chirac has said he wants to go further by inscribing the abolition of
the death penalty into the constitution.
Chirac decided in early February this year to call a joint legislative
session instead of a national referendum to vote on the amendment in order to
achieve his goal before leaving office.
Under the current constitution, a bill to change the constitution can take
effect after it is ratified by a national referendum. The only alternative lies
in the hands of the president, who can call a joint legislative session instead
of a national referendum. The bill must get three-fifths of the legislators'
support to pass.
France's official data shows that altogether 78 countries all over the world
uses the death penalty at present.
Another amendment to the constitution was also adopted by the Senators and
representatives of the National Assembly during the joint session to broaden
parliament's power to impeach a president.
The law would allow a president to be removed from office, "for failing to
carry out his duties in a manner manifestly incompatible with the exercise of
his mandate," by a two-thirds majority of both houses of parliament.
Previously, a president could only be impeached for treason in France.