Transcript France

France
The Fifth Republic
(1958-present)
• De Gaulle's constitution that was in reaction to the
perceived instability of previous two regimes
• It eliminated the prime ministerial system and
enhance the presidential executive (creating a
semi-presidential system)
– Power is shared by the legislature, a directly elected
president, and a prime minister who reports to both
– President – head of state
– PM – head of government
– http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Forms_of_governm
ent.svg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Govern
ment_of_France#Government
Presidency
• Francois Hollande (since May 2012)
• Constitution is ambiguous on powers between
head of state and head of govt.
• During the Fifth Republic the President has
acquired more power – above the parties
– Credit goes to de Gaulle and the fact that it is the
only nationally elected official
• More than the UK, but less than the US
• 5-yr. terms with no limits
• According to the Constitution the French
President
– Does not directly govern (appoints the PM
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Marc_Ayrault)
– approved by a majority of the lower house)
• PM is becomes a chief aide
– Select a cabinet (Council of Ministers)
– Preside over day-to-day affairs
• But what if opposing parties dominate the
Presidency and the lower house?
• Presidents
–
–
–
–
Direct the armed forces
Cannot veto (can ask lower house to reconsider)
Submit referenda directly to the people
Must sign all laws and decrees (but also have to
be signed by all of the Council of Ministers)
– Can dissolve the legislature and call new
elections
– Can remove PM and Ministers
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fr
ench_presidential_election,_20
12
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Nat
ional_Assembly
Prime Minister
• Appointed by the President
• Article 23 of Constitution prevents members
of the legislature from serving simultaneously
as PM and deputy
• They cultivate support for President’s policies
• PM’s power is enhanced when President
doesn’t have a majority in the legislature
– Calls for cohabitation
• If PM is censured, the whole Cabinet of
Ministers Resigns.
The Legislature
• Bicameral – named Parlement
– National Assembly (lower) with 577 deputies
– Senate (upper) with 348
• National Assembly
– Five year term
• Senate
– Six year term
• Legislature is weaker than most other places
– Blocked vote – must accept or reject bills in their
entirety and allows votes on only amendments
approved by the government
– Can’t introduce bills or amendments to raise
money
– Matters of confidence – proposed laws are
passed unless the legislature passes a motion of
censure (however this calls for a new legislature
election)
– decrees
• Senate
– Elected indirectly
– Can only delay legislation passed by the
lower house
– Main power is the rejection of
constitutional amendments (because
these require both houses to approve)
Judicial
• Follow the continental European code
– Laws are derived from detailed legal codes
rather than precedent
• The role of judges is to interpret and apply
the codes
– They have less discretion than American judges
• However, judges determine whether
charges should be brought and they
assume many of the roles of U.S.
prosecuting attorneys
Constitutional Council
• Due to potential conflict of the semi-presidential
system the Constitutional Council was created
• They settle constitutional disputes
– At the request of PM, head of either house, or a group of
60 members of either house
– Rule on it only before it is passed
• Nine members – 3 are appointed by the President; 6
appointed by leaders of both houses- 3 by NA and 3
by the Senate
• All ex-presidents are life-time members
• Non-renewable 9 year term (1/3 every three years)
• They assure
–the proper conduct of
referendums
–Conduct of the Presidential
election
–Conduct of election of NA
and Senate should issues
arise
Electoral System
• Presidents are elected in two rounds
every 5 years
• Must get over 50% in the first round to
avoid the second round (has not
happened in the Fifth Republic)
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_pre
sidential_election,_2012
• SMD, two-round system in the
National Assembly as well
• Candidates with over 12.5% of the
vote make it to the second round
(unless someone gets 50% to start)
• They had a brief period of Proportional
Representation during Mitterrand, but
returned to SMD after two years
• Two rounds of voting creates many
parties
• The Senate is elected indirectly
through the electoral college of local
representatives
• This makes it a “local interest” body
that tends to be very conservative
• Long history of localism and
regionalism for a unitary state, but
limited separatism issues
• 22 French Regions
French Departments
•
•
Headed by Prefects (government
appointed official)
representing the state to local governments;
security
– the coordination of police and gendarmerie forces;
– handling major crises;
– emergency defence procedures;
•
safety
– the decision to evacuate zones facing natural disasters; the organisation of
relief operations;
•
responsibility for official documents, such as
– the production of identity documents, including identity cards and
passports;
– the issuing of driving licences, and their administrative withdrawal in case of
certain offenses;
– the application of immigration rules;
•
ensuring respect for legality: officials working for the prefect verify the
legality of decisions made by local governments and submit doubtful
cases to administrative courts or to financial auditing courts.
French Communes
• Like our townships
• Policies enacted by the French Third
Republic also encouraged this
displacement through mandatory
military service, a centralized
national educational system, and
suppression of regional languages
French Bureaucracy
• Best in the world
– Republican meritocracy
• Ecole Polytechnic (X)
– admission after two years of highly competitive
university work in math/science
– Less than 3000
• Ecole nationale d’administration (ENA)
– About 100 grads a year
• Pantouflage (putting on slippers)
– The move from the administrative elite to the top of
the private sector
• Very much apart of the state planning
– Government consumption is 25% (U.S. is 18%; UK is
21%)
Party System
• By the 1970s
– Right: Rally for the French Republic
(RPR) and the Union for a Popular
Movement (UMP)
– Left: French Communist Part (PCF) and
the Socialist Party (PS
French Society
Ethnic & National Identity
• In the past France had many distinct ethnic
identities with their own culture and language.
Over time these diverse identities assimilated
into one French identity.
• This was connected to the state in its role of
national identity.
• French Revolutionaries, unlike American
Revolutionaries, wanted a powerful state that
would destroy the former institutions.
• The concept of laicite’ is the subordination of
religious identity to state and national identity
(Illegal to take ethnicity and religion in their
census).
Ethnic & National Identity Continued…
• In the past this assimilation has been
effective, but in the past few decades,
due to the influx of immigration.
– Largest Muslim population in Europe (5-7
million)
– Muslims are expected to put faith below the
national and patriotic identity.
– French elites fear multiculturalism because it may
“undermine the political fabric that binds the
country.”
Ideology & Political Culture
• The French favor individual political leaders
instead of ideological groupings.
• Strong populist ideas and common mistrust
of institutions such as political parties.
• With the populist notions comes the many
protests that France has each year (Between
1998 & 2001 France experienced an average
of 1,000 industrial actions per year. In 2001
alone there were 800 political protests).
Dirigism
• By the 20th Century France was behind the rest of
the world in its economic development.
• They had a large agricultural sector and low
urbanization.
• After WWII France wanted to rapidly transform
their economy which lead to what they termed
dirigism.
• Nationalism of several sectors of the economy(i.e.
utilities).
• Promotion of “National Champion” industries to
compete internationally.
• Creation of the National Planning Ministry.
Dirigism Continued…
• Established the ENA to ensure the
education of bureaucrats who would be
able to direct the economy.
• The dirigist system helped economic
wealth grow and urbanization increased as
promised.
• With the help of the EU, by 1973 France
had transformed their agricultural sector
to one of large-scale production and had
increased its GDP to 80% of the US’ GDP.
Foreign Relations & the World
• With the onset of the Cold War, France felt that
their national identity was threatened by the
ideology of the two super powers, Russia and the
United States.
• French Foreign policy over the past 50 years has
been dictated by its desire to amplify the country’s
position in the world.
• France used the EU to extend its power and level
the playing field with Russia and the United States.
• France wasn’t involved with NATO to the extent
they were involved with the EU because they
didn’t want the American interests to take hold.
Foreign Relations Continued…
• France was threatened by the end of the Cold
War and the rise of US stature. They feared it
would undermine France’s place in world
order.
• With the rise of US power, the French desire to
make the EU independent of the US has
intensified.
• France has good relations in the Middle East
which caused a conflict when the US decided
to go to war with Iraq.
• France fears EU expansion eastward because
more diverse voices may dilute French
influence.