France’s lower house of parliament has voted to ban the wearing of face-covering veils in public places by 336 votes to one in the 557-seat assembly.

The bill, which has received overwhelming support in opinion polls, must now be ratified by the senate in September to become law.

The opposition Socialist party, who originally wanted the ban limited only to public buildings, boycotted Tuesday’s vote.

France’s highest administrative body warned in March that the bill could be found to be unconstitutional and therefore thrown out.

Estelle Youssouffa, Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Paris, said: “The Council of the State warned the government that the French law and the EU law could find this bill unconstitutional, as it violates human rights and religious freedom.”

The bill makes it illegal to cover the face anywhere in public and those caught wearing a full veil would face fines of $190 or be ordered to enroll in a “citizenship course.”

Men who force their wives or daughters to wear the full veil face a fine of up to $37,754 and a one-year jail term, according to the draft legislation.