POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS

POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS

INSTITUTIONS

THE PRESIDENCY

THE PRIME MINISTER AND CABINET

THE LEGISLATURE

THE CONSTITUTIONAL COUNCIL

THE BUREAUCRACY

CURRENT ISSUES AND TRENDS

The Constitution of 1958 created the Fifth Republic and massively revamped the powers of the president, cabinet, and legislature. The dilemma for France had always been how to somehow moderate the swings between strong man rule and egalitarianism. France needs both, and neither a presidential nor a parliamentary system is an adequate solution. The hybrid presidential-parliamentary system put in place in 1958 has managed to somehow accommodate both. It has both a president and a prime minister, a provision that corrects the instability of previous parliamentary systems. Since parliamentary government relies on the ability of one party to control the legislature, such a system just didn't work well in France. However, the French reliance on strong man rule does not lend itself very well to a presidential system in which the legislative and judicial branches significantly check the president's power. Under the hybrid system, the president has many powers, but his authority is checked by direct popular elections every five years. Direct popular elections select the parliament as well, and if the legislature and president are on opposite sides of the left-right political spectrum, the cabinet and prime minister must arbitrate the difference.

The system is better understood if you think of it in two distinct phases:

The superpresidential era (1958-1986) &endash; Until 1981 the president and National Assembly were both dominated by the right-leaning Gaullists, so whoever was president had almost all decision-making power. From 1981-1986 the Socialists took control of both branches under President Francois Mitterrand. Throughout the entire era, the president selected a prime minister from his party, who basically served as a messenger to the assembly. Regular, competitive presidential and legislative elections were held throughout the period, so the arrangement appears to be what the electorate wanted after so many years of weak parliamentary government.
The semipresidential era (1986-present) &endash; The era since 1986 has been marked by frequent periods of cohabitation, a situation in which the president is from one side (left or right) and the prime minister is from the other. Even though the president selects his own prime minister, the choosing is based on the will of the electorate. If a right-leaning parliament is elected during a leftist president's time of office, or vice-versa, in every case the president has selected a prime minister that reflects the leanings of the parliament. This era has seen much more limitation of the president's power, and the pattern has been reinforced by a fickle electorate with little party loyalty.