Paris votes against new ‘Triangle Tower’

Considered the pet project of Paris's new mayor Anne Hidalgo, the planned construction of the 40-floor-high pyramid-shaped tower, or the "Tour Triangle" as it is known in French, may have hit a snag after 83 councillors voted against it, winning the ballot by five votes.  

But all is not yet lost for the mayor, after Hidalgo protested the legitimacy of the ballot after some councillors – prior to the vote – publicly disclosed which way they intended to vote, despite it being a secret ballot, Le Parisien reported.

Citing case law of the Council, Hidalgo argued that since the difference of votes was less than the number of ballots publicly disclosed, the latter should not be taken into account, consequently nullifying the ballot.

At a height of 180m (590 feet), the proposed pyramid would be the third-tallest building in the capital after the Eiffel Tower (1,063 feet) and Montparnasse Tower (686 feet).

Designed by the Swiss agency Herzog and De Meuren, the building project is estimated to cost a whopping €535 million.

SEE ALSO: A history of France's most controversial architecture

The mayor’s decision was criticized by former mayoral candidate, council member and MP Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet from the UMP party as a “denial of democracy”.