The French parliament on Monday adopted a constitutional amendment in Versailles, west of Paris, formally abolishing the death penalty in the country.

The amendment, which won support from the majority of the nearly 900 legislators, says "no one can be sentenced to the death penalty" in France.

Although France banned the capital punishment with a 1981 law, President Jacques Chirac has said he wants to go further by inscribing the abolition of the death penalty into the constitution.

Chirac decided in early February this year to call a joint legislative session instead of a national referendum to vote on the amendment in order to achieve his goal before leaving office.

Under the current constitution, a bill to change the constitution can take effect after it is ratified by a national referendum. The only alternative lies in the hands of the president, who can call a joint legislative session instead of a national referendum. The bill must get three-fifths of the legislators' support to pass.

France's official data shows that altogether 78 countries all over the world uses the death penalty at present.

Another amendment to the constitution was also adopted by the Senators and representatives of the National Assembly during the joint session to broaden parliament's power to impeach a president.

The law would allow a president to be removed from office, "for failing to carry out his duties in a manner manifestly incompatible with the exercise of his mandate," by a two-thirds majority of both houses of parliament.

Previously, a president could only be impeached for treason in France.

Source: Xinhua