France:

1
France

• Politics in a semi-presidential regime

2
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

3
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

4
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

5
The left

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

6
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

7
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 (501) 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

8
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

9
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 presidents 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

10
Presidential dominance

• Parties supporting the President have a majority
  in the National Assembly
• President appoints a premier of his choice
• Premier carries out the Presidents 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

11
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

12
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)

13
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

14
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