FRENCH GOVERNMENT
Here is an outline of the French political system:
Constitution
Fifth Republic
submitted and won in a
national referendum in September 1958
Charles de Gaulle ("Le
Grand Charles")
leader of the Free French
resistance during World War II
appealed to ethnic pride
of the people
draped
himself in the French tricolor (national flag)
promised
to recapture the lost greatness of France
Followed discredited Fourth Republic (1946-1958)
characterized by enormous
parliamentary instability and government crisis
21 premiers and cabinets
average life span of
6-7 months each
National Assembly often
paralyzed and ineffectual
The "revolving door" governments
perpetuated in party by a multi-party
system based on proportional
representation.
unable to rule with a
clear consensus and direction
ultimately foundered on
foreign policy issues:
humiliating defeat and
withdrawal from the French-Indo-China War in 1954
divisive War for Algerian
Independence (1954-1962)
Fifth Republic's Constitution of 1958:
created hybrid presidential-parliamentary
form of government:
much more powerful presidency
than Fourth Republic
weaker prime minister
bicameral French Parliament
subservient to executive branch
created Constitutional
Council, which plays a valuable conciliatory role
in resolving government-president-parliament
conflict
Executive Branch: president and prime minister
"dual executive": president and prime minister
similarities to parliamentary
system
similarities to presidential
system separation of powers
President:
head of state role
usually figurehead
but
in Fifth Republic, dominant political force
Popularly elected
unlimited, renewable
7-year terms
many powers endowed by
constitution:
guarantor and protector
of: (Article 5)
constitution
national
independence
territorial
integrity of France
appoints the prime Minster
(Article 8)
resides over Cabinet
(Council of Ministers) (Article 9)
can
call for national referendum (Article 11)
can
dissolve the National Assembly and arrange for new presiding
officers of National
Assembly and Senate (Article 12)
commander-in-chief (Article
15)
can
assume emergency decree authority to deal with national crisis
(Article 16)
can
exercise right to pardon (Article 17)
wide range of appointment
powers
wide authority over foreign
affairs and defense
includes ability to negotiate
and ratify treaties
resides in Palais de l'ElysČe
Prime Minister
head of government
conventional parliamentary
model of fusion of powers and legislative
accountable
appointed by president
from the majority party or coalition
must sustain a working
majority in the National Assembly to be effective
prime minister nominates
Cabinet (Council of Ministers) but they are
actually appointed by
the president
subordinate in this dual
executive
main function is to direct
and manage the operation of the government
can
only be overturned by an absolute majority of the National Assembly
also subject to legislative
accountability and censure
can
be outmaneuvered by a powerful president
fusion of powers strictly
forbidden by "incompatibility rule" (Article 23):
cabinet ministers cannot
hold concurrent seats in Parliament
this role corresponds
to separation of powers in presidential systems
resides in HŁtel Matignon
Legislature: French Parliament
General:
bicameral legislature
National Assembly (lower
house)
Senate (upper house)
Dominated by executive branch:
government (prime minister
and Council of Ministers) initiate legislative
process and provide conduit
between president and parliament
government sets legislative
agenda in the National Assembly
government bills ("Law
Projects") have priority over private bills ("Law
Proposals")
Legislature is restricted
from either increasing or decreasing the
government's budget
Legislature mostly confined
to legislating matters that are specifically
delegated to it
If it becomes too independent
or obstructionist:
president can dissolve
it
president can issue emergency
decree legislation
National Assembly has
ultimate right to censure and overturn the
government by absolute
majority, but reluctant to do so for fear of
incurring president's
wrath
meets in Palais Bourbon
National Assembly
as of 1988 elections,
577 members
555
from France
22 from
overseas departments and territories
elections:
originally elected from
single member districts with a 2-ballot system:
deputies
could be elected by a simple majority on the first ballot
if
no majority, then second ballot and win by plurality
this method was suspended
in 1985 for the 1986 National Assembly
elections
with
proviso that no party could enter a candidate on send ballot
unless
it had won at least 12.5% of vote on first ballot
proportional
representation method
gave Socialist tactical advantage
significant
change because it disadvantaged some minor or fringe
parties
e.g. xenophobic National Front
re-adopted original SMD
with a 2-ballot system for the 1988 National
Assembly elections
National Assembly deputies
serve term not to exceed 5 years (barring
dissolution)
More powerful than Senate:
Not
allowed to establish its own legislative agenda
but
constitution does allow National Assembly to enact legislation on
its
own accord in such areas as:
civil
rights and liberties
declarations
of war
penal
code
amnesty
issuance
of currency
nationalization
of privatization of property
electoral
procedures
Senate
weaker chamber, like the
House of Lords
consists of 319 members:
296
seats allocated to France
13 seats
to overseas departments and territories
10 seats
to French nationals abroad
senators serve 9-year
terms
one-third of Senate indirectly
elected by an electoral college at 3-year
intervals
government not formally
accountable to the Senate
so can
bypass Senate in legislative process merely by asking the
National Assembly to
pass a bill by a simple majority vote
so senate
perceived by many as merely a redundant or vestigial body
only substantive power
to delay legislation being considered by National
Assembly
Constitutional Council
quasi-judicial body
constitutional arbiter: establishes the
appropriate parameters of executive
and legislative competence
where conflicts or overlap
might occur in laws or treaties, Constitutional
Council's purpose is to
clarify jurisdiction and exercise a form of
judicial review regarding
the constitutionality of laws passed by
Parliament
validates presidential
and legislative elections
monitors referendum procedure
must be "consulted" before president can
invoke emergency decree legislation
consists of:
9 regular members or judges
3 chosen
by president
3 chosen
by President of National Assembly
3 chosen
by President of Senate
all
former presidents of the Republic are ex-officio members for life
judges serve 9-year terms.
Political Parties
multi-party political system
therefore difficult for
any one single party to dominate the parliament
has stabilized into:
left-of-center bloc
Socialist Party and
Communist Party
right-of-center (bourgeois)
bloc:
Rally for the Republic
Union for French Democracy
National Front
5 major political groups:
Socialist Party (PS)
advocates nationalization
of key industries
promotes social welfare
programs
draws most of its support
from labor and trade unions
Rally for the Republic
(RPR)
moderately committed
to ideals and nationalism of late President de
Gaulle
generally
right-of-center
draws
most of its support from the middle and upper classes and rural
areas
Union for French Democracy
(UDF)
loose
confederation of centrist parties formed in 1978
conservative in outlook
receives most of its
electoral support from urban middle classes
Communist Party (PCF)
draws support from labor,
trade union movement, and local governments
traditionally espoused
a nationalistic brand of democratic
Euro-Communism (despite
support of the Soviet CPSU)
opposed French membership
in NATO and European integration
promoted closer relations
with the Communist-bloc countries
undergoing major ideological
and programmatic revisions with demise of
Soviet Union
National Front (FN)
ultra-conservative, rabidly
nationalistic political movement
draws strength from urban
working class
seeks to expel immigrants
(particularly North African Arabs)
rejects all forms of
socialism
supports popular capitalism