Politique franaise

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French Politics
The Elysee Palace, residence of the President
Nicolas Sarkozy elected in May 2007
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The Fifth Republic (1958-present)

• The new Constitution adopted in 1958 through
  referendum gives significant powers to the
  President
• Under the new constitution, the President picks
  the Prime Minister, who in turn choose the
  members of the government
• Bi-cameral Parliament The National Assembly and
  the Senate

General de Gaulle 1958-1969
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Presidents of the Fifth Republic since 1958
Mitterrand 1981-1995
Giscard dEstaing 1974-1981
Pompidou 1969-1974
Chirac 1995- 2007
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Three major elections

• Presidential elections the president is elected
  for a 5-year mandate
• National Assembly (législatives) the Members of
  the Parliament (lower house) are elected for a
  5-year term. 577 electoral districts.
• Municipal elections the city mayors are elected
  for a 6-year term

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Electoral System

• To be entitled to vote, one must be a French
  national, at least 18 years old, enjoy ones
  civil and political rights and registered on an
  electoral roll.

• the President of the Republic and MPs are elected
  by direct universal suffrage.
• Polling method "scrutin uninominal majoritaire à
  deux tours", i.e., a two-round single name
  first-past-the-post poll.
• A candidate may in fact be elected in the first
  round if s/he obtains an absolute majority (50)
  of the votes cast.
• If no candidate achieves a majority in the first
  round, a second round takes place two weeks
  later. Only two candidates may go forward to this
  second round the two highest-scoring candidates
  in the first round.

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• Role of Executive The executive has the primary
  role in making policy. If both P.M. and President
  are of the same party, the President has
  traditionally played the dominant role. If there
  is cohabitation, the P.M. has been dominant in
  domestic policy while the President has focused
  on national symbolism and to some extent on
  foreign policy. Policy proposals go from the
  Cabinet to the legislature.
• Role of Parliament Parliament must pass
  legislation, but the government keeps control
  over important measures. The government can
  prohibit amendments it can label bills
  "government responsibility," thereby forcing the
  Assembly to acquiesce to the bill or face new
  elections. The Senate can delay the
  implementation of a law that the Assembly has
  passed, but cannot prevent its application.

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Political division in France
Centre
Right
Left
Far-right
Far-left
Socialists Ecologists Communists Trotskyists
Gaullists Liberals Conservatives Nationalists
Centrists
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Right Union for a Popular Movement (UMP)
Acting Presidents Patrick Devedjan, Jean-Claude
Gaudin (replaced Nicolas Sarkozy in 2007)
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Far Right The National Front
Jean-Marie le Pen
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Centre Democratic Movement (MoDem)
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Left
Socialist Party
Ségolène Royal
François Hollande General Secretary
Communist Party
Marie-Georges Buffet General Secretary
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Left The Greens
Cécile Duflot
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Far Left Revolutionary Communist League
Olivier Besancenot
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Far Left The Workers Struggle
Lutte Ouvrière
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Government of May 2007
François Fillon Prime Minister Named by Nicolas
Sarkozy
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Ministers et Ministries - 1
Bernard KOUCHNER Foreign Affairs
Xavier DARCOS Education
Christine LAGARDE Economy and Finances
Jean-Louis BORLOO Ecology and Sustainable
development
Michèle ALLIOT-MARIE Interior and Overseas
Affairs
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Ministers et Ministries - 2
Xavier BERTRAND Labour, Social Relations And
Soidarity
Christine ALBANEL Culture and Communication
Rachida Dati Justice
Brice HORTEFEUX Immigration, Integration,
National Identity and Co-development
Hervé MORIN Défence
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Major Political Issues today in France

• Immigration a long-standing issue in France As
  the number of legal immigrants keeps increasing,
  the number of illegal migrant workers (without
  work permit and immigration documents) being
  deported has increased by three-fold over the
  past 5 years.

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Major Political Issues today in France

• European integration the French rejected the
  proposed EU constitution in 2005, a negative vote
  that threw into doubt the future of the Union

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Major Political Issues today in France

• Unemployment the unemployment rate stands at
  around 9 in 2008 and has been a perennial
  concern over the past 25 years. The economic and
  social costs are considerable.

Youth Unemployment in the EU
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Major Political Issues today in France

• Law and order since 2005, significant unrest of
  unruly youths in poor suburbs has raised concerns
  over public security and over the way to tackle
  the problem

Work and Unemployment
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Major Political Issues today in France

• Cost of living currently the No. 1 concern of
  the French, the price of food and commodities is
  said to have risen by an average 30 over the
  past two years