France's Valls plans to amend constitution to abolish bypassing of parliament in law making

Former French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, who is running for president, if elected plans to change the constitution and abolish the article that allows to pass bills through the parliament without debates and voting, he announced on Thursday. Article 49.3 of the French Constitution allows the prime minister and his government in certain cases to adopt a bill immediately and without a vote in the parliament. The parliament can issue a vote of no-confidence in the government in 24 hours after the Article is used. "I know perfectly what negative consequences Article 49.3 can carry. In our society the use of this article is archaic and seems cruel," Valls explained during his appearance on air at the France Inter radio. He added that he plans to abolish this article and only use it when the bill in question considers financial issues of the state. If elected, Valls promised to start working on the reform as soon as autumn 2017. Manuel Valls, who was French Prime Minister from October 2014 to December 2016, used Article 49.3 several times while being in office, including the labor legislation reform in early 2016. The French presidential elections will take place in April and May 2017.   Original Source: