Via the BBC: France backs constitution reform

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.

[...]

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.

Also:

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.

Constitutional reform is always fun for us comparativists, so hooray for the French!

In all honesty, the article is not clear on what exactly this vote means. Further, it notes that critics claim the reforms strengthen the presidency, yet exactly how is also unclear. More on this as I learn more about it.