French justice minister resigns after uneasy term

PARIS: French Justice Minister Christiane Taubira, a left-winger often at odds with her government on law and order matters, resigned on Wednesday, a victim of President Francois Hollande’s lurch to the right on national security last year.

Taubira had expressed deep reservations about a constitutional reform that would allow some people convicted of terrorism to be stripped of their citizenship. Parliament began examining the draft law on Wednesday. "I am leaving the government due to a serious political disagreement," she told a news conference.

On her Twitter account, she said: "Sometimes you remain in place to resist. Sometimes resisting means you go."

Hollande’s office announced that Taubira was being replaced by Jean-Jacques Urvoas, regarded as more supportive of Prime Minister Manuel Valls and Hollande.