The Guardian ·
France gives guillotine the chop – archive, 1981
Deputies vote to end capital punishment despite opinion polls showing that two-thirds of French people favour the death penalty
The French cabinet yesterday agreed to end the death penalty as the first of a series of sweeping reforms over the next four months. President Mitterrand also called on the government to “amplify” what he called the positive actions of his first three months in office by ordering nearly 20 major projects to be carried out before Christmas. They range from the nationalisation programme to a reflationary, anti-unemployment budget for 1982.
The programme outlined by Mr Mitterrand, who obviously feels the need to reassure a public worried by rising unemployment, increasing inflation and a threat to the franc, will be a crucial test of the government’s capabilities, and the decision to put the abolition of the death penalty at the top of the list of urgent reform should set a decisive tone – particularly as two-thirds of the French people favour the guillotine.
The previous regime dithered over a decision on the death penalty for seven years, rejecting at least 10 attempts to raise the question in parliament where it has not been fully debated since 1911. Until yesterday, France was the only country in Europe which had not abolished the death penalty.
