The institutions and the political system of France

The President is the head of State. He or she is elected by all the voters and works from the Élysée Palace in Paris.

• The President is elected by direct universal suffrage for five years (since 2000), in two rounds, and can be re-elected only once in a row (since 2008).
• The President appoints the Prime Minister, presides over the Council of Ministers, signs the laws and the decrees, is the head of the armed forces and represents France abroad.
• The President can dissolve the National Assembly and call a referendum, and can use special powers in a grave crisis (Article 16).
• The first President of the Fifth Republic was General de Gaulle (1959–1969).

The Government decides and leads the policy of the nation. It is led by the Prime Minister and works from the Hôtel de Matignon.

• The Prime Minister (Premier ministre) is appointed by the President and leads the Government and the ministers.
• The Government is responsible to the National Assembly, which can force it to resign with a motion of censure (motion de censure).
• Each minister runs a ministry, for example the Interior, Education, Health, the Economy.
• The Government proposes laws (projets de loi) and makes the regulations (décrets) that apply them.

Parliament votes the laws, controls the Government and votes the budget. It has two chambers.

• The National Assembly (Assemblée nationale) has 577 deputies elected by direct universal suffrage for five years. It sits in the Palais Bourbon, in Paris.
• The Senate (Sénat) has 348 senators, elected by indirect suffrage (by local elected officials) for six years, and half of it is renewed every three years. It sits in the Palais du Luxembourg.
• A law has to be voted by both chambers; in case of disagreement the National Assembly has the last word.
• A deputy represents a constituency (circonscription). The President of the National Assembly and the President of the Senate are the heads of the two chambers.

Exam tip: 577 deputies, 5 years. 348 senators, 6 years.

Voting is a right and a civic duty, although it is not obligatory in France.

• You can vote if you are French, 18 or older, and registered on the electoral roll (liste électorale). The vote is secret and free.
• The main elections are the presidential, legislative (deputies), municipal (the mayor), departmental, regional and European elections.
• The presidential and legislative elections have two rounds (tours): if nobody has the majority in the first, the two with most votes (for the presidential) go to the second.
• You vote at a polling station (bureau de vote) with an identity document, and you can vote by proxy (procuration) if you cannot go.
• Citizens of the European Union living in France can vote in the municipal and European elections.

France is a unitary State but it has local authorities with their own elected councils.

• The commune is the smallest level, with a town hall (mairie), a municipal council and a mayor (maire). There are around 35,000 communes.
• The mayor keeps the civil registry (état civil): births, marriages and deaths are registered at the mairie, and civil weddings are held there.
• The département is led by a departmental council (conseil départemental) and takes care of social help, roads and middle schools (collèges). There are 101 départements, including overseas ones.
• The region (région) is led by a regional council and handles transport, high schools (lycées), professional training and economic development. France has 18 regions, 13 in metropolitan France.
• The préfet represents the State in each département, and the préfecture is where you ask for residence permits and other papers.

Justice is independent. In France it is given in the name of the French people.

• The Constitutional Council (Conseil constitutionnel) checks that laws agree with the Constitution. The Council of State (Conseil d’État) judges disputes with the administration.
• Ordinary courts judge civil and criminal cases, with the Court of Cassation (Cour de cassation) at the top. Serious crimes are judged by a cour d’assises with a jury of citizens.
• Everybody is presumed innocent until a court has judged them, and has the right to a lawyer (avocat); legal aid exists for those with low income.
• The police nationale and the gendarmerie keep public order. You call 17 for the police or the gendarmerie.