France President Francois Hollande has said he will stop pursuing a set of constitutional reforms targeting perpetrators of armed attacks against the nation.
The reforms included clauses to strip citizenship of people convicted of an "attack on the life of the nation", and enshrine some security measures implemented under a state of emergency more permanently.
"Parts of the opposition have been hostile to a revision of the constitution. I deplore this attitude," Hollande said after a weekly cabinet meeting. "I have decided to end this debate."
Civil rights groups had strongly criticised the proposals, and international organisations raised alarm over the effects of France's security crackdown.
The reforms, pursued aggressively by Hollande and his government after a series of attacks in Paris in November left 130 people dead, also prompted former Justice Minister Christian Taubira to resign in protest.
The initiative had divided politicians and caused months of heated discussions on what critics said was an inefficient and purely symbolic measure.
Hollande's plan to insert into the constitution the rules for a state of emergency was also abandoned.
The clause for confiscating passports hit a dead end last week after the opposition-controlled upper house of parliament approved a different version from the one adopted by the Socialist-controlled lower house earlier.
Source: Al Jazeera and agencies
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