Politics
France is a representative democracy organised as a unitary semi-presidential republic.[108] Democratic traditions and values are deeply rooted in French culture, identity and politics.[109] The Constitution of the Fifth Republic was approved by referendum in 1958, establishing a framework consisting of executive, legislative and judicial branches.[110] It sought to address the instability of the Third and Fourth Republics by combining elements of both the parliamentary and presidential systems, while greatly strengthening the authority of the executive relative to the legislature.[109]
Government
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The executive branch has two leaders. The president, who has been Emmanuel Macron since 2017, is the head of state, elected directly by universal adult suffrage for a five-year term.[111] The prime minister, who has been François Bayrou since 2024, is the head of government, appointed by the President to lead the government. The president has the power to dissolve Parliament or circumvent it by submitting referendums directly to the people; the president also appoints judges and civil servants, negotiates and ratifies international agreements, as well as serves as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. The prime minister determines public policy and oversees the civil service, with an emphasis on domestic matters.[112] In the 2022 presidential election, Macron was re-elected.[113] Two months later, in the legislative elections, Macron lost his parliamentary majority and had to form a minority government.[114]
The legislature consists of the French Parliament, a bicameral body made up of a lower house, the National Assembly and an upper house, the Senate.[115] Legislators in the National Assembly, known as députés, represent local constituencies and are directly elected for five-year terms.[116] The Assembly has the power to dismiss the government by majority vote. Senators are chosen by an electoral college for six-year terms, with half the seats submitted to election every three years.[117] The Senate's legislative powers are limited; in the event of disagreement between the two chambers, the National Assembly has the final say.[118] The parliament is responsible for determining the rules and principles concerning most areas of law, political amnesty, and fiscal policy; however, the government may draft specific details concerning most laws.
From World War II until 2017, French politics was dominated by two politically opposed groupings: one left-wing, the French Section of the Workers' International, which was succeeded by the Socialist Party (in 1969); and the other right-wing, the Gaullist Party, whose name changed over time to the Rally of the French People (1947), the Union of Democrats for the Republic (1958), the Rally for the Republic (1976), the Union for a Popular Movement (2007) and The Republicans (since 2015). In the 2017 presidential and legislative elections, the radical centrist party La R̩publique En Marche! (LREM) became the dominant force, overtaking both Socialists and Republicans. LREM's opponent in the second round of the 2017 and 2022 presidential elections was the growing far-right party National Rally (RN). Since 2020, Europe Ecology РThe Greens (EELV) have performed well in mayoral elections in major cities[119] while on a national level, an alliance of Left parties (the NUPES) was the second-largest voting block elected to the lower house in 2022.[120] Right-wing populist RN became the largest opposition party in the National Assembly in 2022.[121]
The electorate is constitutionally empowered to vote on amendments passed by the Parliament and bills submitted by the president. Referendums have played a key role in shaping French politics and even foreign policy; voters have decided on such matters as Algeria's independence, the election of the president by popular vote, the formation of the EU, and the reduction of presidential term limits.[122]