Hollande defended his choice to commemorate the cease-fire of March 19, 1962 in Algeria to honor the victims of this conflict by explaining that this date marked “not yet peace” but “the beginning of the outcome the war”. The presidential initiative was disputed by many associations of veterans and Pieds-noir for whom this date does not mark the end of the Algerian conflict but the beginning of the exile and massacre of civilians and harkis. / AFP / POOL / Christophe Petit Tesson
Hollande announced in a televised statement he was “closing the constitutional debate” on the reforms after the lower house, the National Assembly, and opposition-dominated Senate failed to agree on the text.
Hollande proposed the reforms after Islamic State group suicide bombers and gunmen killed 130 people across Paris.
“A compromise appears out of reach on the stripping of terrorists’ nationality,” Hollande said.
“I also note that a section of the opposition is hostile to any constitutional revision. I deeply regret this attitude.
Hollande pledged that despite dropping the reform plans, he would not “deviate from the commitments I have taken… to ensure the security of our country.”
