France:

Politics in a semi-presidential regime

Recap: French institutions

• Directly elected president – head of state -- gives overall direction to government policy

• Premier – head of government – hired and fired by the President – but must serve with the confidence of the National Assembly

• National Assembly (lower house) can censure the Premier and force/his or her renewal

Institutions and how they operate:

• Constitution was designed to increase the authority of the executive

• Constitution does so by strengthening the Premier and weakening the National Assembly

• Regime can be more presidential – president in direct command or more parliamentary, depending on who controls the National Assembly

The Fifth Republic Party System

• Like all French party systems, a multiparty system

• However, reflecting both the electoral law (double ballot – runoff system) and competition for a single indivisible office, parties tend to cluster in two blocs, the left and the right

The left

• Currently 3-4 parties:– Communists (PCF)– Socialists (PS) [Lionel Jospin]– Greens/Ecologists– Some radicals

The right:

• Gaulllists [Pres. Jacques Chirac]– Currently organized as UMP – Union for a

Popular Movement – previously RPR,Rally for the Republic– Typically nationalistic, statist

• Union of Democrats for France (liberal)• National Front (FN)

extreme right, led by Jean Marie Le Pen

Presidential elections

President is elected in a two ballot or runoff system:• To be elected on the first ballot, a candidate must

win an absolute majority (50%+1) of the vote cast

• If no candidate wins on the first ballot, a second ballot is held 2 weeks later:– Lower candidates are dropped

– Candidate with the most votes wins

Elections to the National Assembly

• Deputies are elected in single member districts on a two ballot or runoff system– In order to be elected on the first ballot, a

candidate must win an – If no candidate has an absolute majority, then a

second runoff ballot is held one week later• Candidates winning less than 12.5 % (1/8) are

dropped• Candidate with the most votes – a plurality – wins

Balance among President, Premier and National Assembly:

Presidential domination:

• Parties supporting President have a majority in the National Assembly

• President appoints and may remove the Premier

• Premier implements president’s program

Parliamentary government– Parties opposing president

have a majority in the National Assembly

– National Assembly can censure premier if it chooses

– Outcome: either• Stalemate and/or

parliamentary elections OR

• Cohabitation – power-sharing

Presidential dominance:

• Parties supporting the President have a majority in the National Assembly

• President appoints a premier of his choice• Premier carries out the President’s program,

securing the passage of legislation as need• National Assembly and Senate comply.

– Premier may make legislation a matter of confidence– If he does so, the legislation passes unless

• 10% of deputies file a motion of censure• The motion is passed by an absolute majority (50% +1) of the

entire National Assembly

Parliamentary mode:

• Parties opposing the president have a majority in the National Assembly

• President may appoint premier of his choice, but National Assembly can censure– If premier (and cabinet) are censured, they must resign

– President may then• Dissolve the National Assembly and call for new elections (but

only once per 12 month period)

• Appoint a premier acceptable to the National Assembly majority, resulting in cohabitation or power-sharing

French Presidents:

• 1958-1981, Presidents and parliaments from the right– De Gaulle (1958-1969)– Pompidou (1969-1973)– Giscard de Estaing (1974-1981)

• 1981-1995: Francois Mitterand (PS)

• 1995-present: Jacques Chirac (RPR, UMP)

Incidence of cohabitation

• 1986-88 (Mitterand presidency)– Right wins 1986 National Assembly elections – Mitterand appoints Chirac as Premier

• 1993-95 – Right wins National Assembly– Mitterand appoints Balladur as Premier

• 1997-2002 (Chirac presidency)– Chirac dissolves National Assembly– Left majority– Chirac appoints Socialist, Lionel Jospin as Premier

5th Republic Balance sheet:

• Regime is well established –and stable• Less recourse to referenda• Executive dominated• However over time, Presidents become less

dominant• More give and take between parliament and the

executive