Parliamentarians in France have backed plans by President Nicolas Sarkozy to rewrite the country's constitution - by the slimmest of margins.

The reform bill was backed by 539 votes to 357 - exactly the 60% majority of the combined Assembly and Senate required to pass the reforms.

Mr Sarkozy says the reforms will strengthen France's parliament, which is often seen as weak.

But Mr Sarkozy's critics say they will turn the country into a "monocracy".

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EC tells France to tighten up on budget ... justice minister Robert Badinter said the reforms would be the equivalent of crowning Mr Sarkozy king.

"It's 'monocracy' - the power of a single man," he said last week.

Touch-and-go

The reform bill represents the biggest shake-up in the way France is run since the constitution was introduced by Charles de Gaulle in 1958, observers say.

The most contentious part of the bill has been a plan to allow the president to address parliament, opening up the possibility of a US State of the Union-style address.

That has not been permitted since 1875, in an attempt to keep the executive and legislative branches separate.

Mr Sarkozy, however, says the measures will actually strengthen parliament and make the president more accountable.

The bill sets a two-term limit for presidents, gives parliament a veto over some presidential appointments, ends government control over parliament's committee system, allows parliament to set its own agenda, and ends the president's right of collective pardon, the AFP news agency reports.

The bill was dependent on cross-party support, leaving the outcome unclear right up to the vote.

Mr Sarkozy spent the weekend on a break with his wife Carla Bruni in Morocco, but was reported to have been calling France frequently to try to consolidate support for the moves.

Despite last-minute concessions, the opposition Socialists, the Greens and the Communists all said they would vote against.

(BBC)

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