French opposition candidate vows to bring back Genocide bill

By Asbarez | Wednesday, 29 February 2012

France's Socialist presidential hopeful Francois Hollande

PARIS—France’s Socialist Party presidential candidate Francois Hollande pledged to bring back the government-backed law criminalizing the denial of the Armenian Genocide, after that country’s Constitutional Council controversially deemed a similar bill unconstitutional, reported the Anatolia news agency.

Hollande promised to reopen the debate if he becomes the next president.

“It is impossible to prepare a new draft due to the approaching end of the legal year,” Hollande said. “But I will bring it up again, and try to live up to my promises.”

France’s Constitutional Council on Tuesday court’s deemed the bill passed by the French Senate on Jan. 23 unconstitutional.

Sarkozy has already demanded a new draft for the law.

Any new legislation on the matter will have to be introduced after the presidential elections and would require the same legislative process for approval.

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