Genocide recognition champion Anne Hidalgo to become Paris mayorMarch 31, 2014 - 15:06 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Anne Hidalgo, the candidate of France's ruling Socialist Party, will be the first female mayor of Paris after winning municipal elections in the French capital on Sunday, March 31, exit polls indicated, according to Agence France-Presse. Hidalgo, 54, the number two to current mayor Bertrand Delanoe, claimed 54.5 percent of second round votes in the capital, comfortably beating her centre-right rival, former government minister Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet (45.5 percent), the polls suggested. Earlier, Ms Hidalgo named Turkey's recognition of the Armenian Genocide as a precondition for Ankara's accession to the EU. "The recognition will make Turkey stronger," she said. Ms Hidalgo further expressed support for adoption of the Genocide denial law, further referring to President Hollande's pledge to work out a legal instrument that won't meet the ban of the Constitutional Court. "Denial of tragic pages of history is what prevents building a new future," she said. Ms Hidalgo vowed to perpetuate the April 24 commemorative events if elected a mayor, with Paris Mayor's Office to extend financial support to the Genocide centennial events in 2015. On January 23, 2012 the French Senate passed the bill making it a crime to deny the Armenian Genocide. The bill envisaged a 45,000 euro fine and a year in prison for anyone in France who denies this crime against humanity committed by the Ottoman Empire. However, the French Constitutional Council ruled the bill as anti-constitutional. In a statement the Council said the document represented an “unconstitutional breach of the practice of freedom of expression and communication Later, President Hollande pledged to redraft the law criminalizing the Armenian Genocide denial in France, stressing the need to ensure the legal framework to avoid censorship by the Constitutional Council. Photo: EPA Related links: The Armenian Genocide The Armenian Genocide (1915-23) was the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I. It was characterized by massacres and deportations, involving forced marches under conditions designed to lead to the death of the deportees, with the total number of deaths reaching 1.5 million. Top stories The EU does not intend to conduct military exercises with Armenia, Lead Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano says. Hikmet Hajiyev has said that there is no place for USAID operation in Azerbaijan any longer. A telephone conversation between Putin and Pashinyan before the CSTO summit is not planned, Peskov says. London’s Armenian community has been left feeling “under attack” after the city’s Genocide monument was vandalised. Partner news | Fly Arna license suspended, says Armenia official The license of the Armenian airline Fly Arna has been suspended for six months, an official says. President stresses Armenia’s clear position to achieve peace On the eve of the International Francophonie Day, the Armenian President met with French intellectuals. Termination of servicing of MIR cards. IDBank It will not be possible to ensure the full operation of MIR cards in IDBank’s POS-terminals and ATMs Pashinian meets border villagers on possible land transfer to Azerbaijan Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has met with concerned residents of two villages in Armenia’s northern Tavush province. |