Government System of France

Background
France has a republic form of government. The current government is considered the Fifth Republic and was established in 1958. Most of the constitution of the Fifth Republic was done by its first president and prime minister, General de Gaulle and Michel Debre. The French constitution differs from many other western democracies in the way that it gives extensive power to its executive branch even though it is parliamentary.

February 2013
Legislative Branch
The legislative branch is the French parliament. It is made up of two chambers: the National Assembly (the lower and principal house of parliament) and the Senate. Members of Parliament are elected every five years in general elections as the President is. Senators, on the other hand are elected by local elected representatives known as grand electors. People of the National Assembly focus on the daily government business. The Senate has the responsibility of dealing with constitutional matters and foreign affairs.

Executive Branch
The executive branch consists of the President, Council of Ministers and the prime minister. Currently, the President is Francois Hollande, and the prime minister is Jean-Marc Ayrault. The President is head of state and head of the executive branch and is elected by those able to vote. The president is elected for 5year terms and can only be reelected once. The president and the Council of Ministers determine policy as well. The president also has the power to appoint a prime minister. Other powers of the President include: Heading armed forces Power to dismiss National Assembly Chairing the Council of Ministers Appointing members of the Constitutional Court Negotiating all foreign treaties Power to call referenda

Judicial Branch
The judiciary is mostly independent of the other branches of the French government. The judges of the judiciary branch are to interpret law; they do not take part in creating it. The highest court in France is the Cour de Cassation which is where the six chief judges appointed by the senate work. A difference between this supreme court and the one of many other countries is the fact that they do not have the power of judicial review.