News / France

Sarkozy to change French constitution to ban burkini if elected president again

Monday, 29 August 2016 1:03 PM [ Last Update: Monday, 29 August 2016 3:12 PM ]

Former French president and candidate for Les Republicans (LR) party primary Nicolas Sarkozy speaks during a meeting of young Republicans on August 27, 2016 in Le Touquet. (AFP photo)

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has defended a controversial ban in France on Muslim women’s swimsuit, known as burkini, saying he would change the constitution to forbid wearing the garment nationwide if he is elected for another term as president.

“Well, then we change the constitution. We've changed it thirty odd times, it's not a problem,” Sarkozy said on Monday in response to questions about the unconstitutional nature of the ban on burkini.

France's highest administrative court on Friday decided to suspend the ban in 15 coastal resorts across France.

The ruling came after images of two police forces enforcing the ban on a woman in the southern city of Nice stirred huge public anger.

Rights groups say the ban violates basic freedoms of dress, religious expression and movement and foments religious tensions in France.

Sarkozy, who has positioned himself as a defender of French values and tough on immigration, said last week that he would impose a nationwide ban on burkini, adding that the ban will be needed to ensure the public order.

A woman wearing a burkini walks in the water on August 27, 2016 on a beach in Marseille, France. (Reuters photo)

Last week, Sarkozy formally announced his decision to run for the next presidential election which will be held next year. He said he had felt the need to run again for the presidency in the historically tough time that France is facing.

The 61-year-old conservative politician said the “top battle” for the French in the coming year would be how “to defend our lifestyle without being tempted to cut ourselves off from the rest of the world.”

Sarkozy, who lost the presidential election to Francois Hollande in 2012 after his first term, has to win the primaries organized by the French right in November before he can stand an election. His main rival is Alain Juppe, former prime minister and the favorite in the polls.

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