Prime Minister of France: his role and powers

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:55

The political structure of France was formed as a result of a long constitutional development and repeated alternation of republican and monarchical models of government. The unique history of the country has become the reason for a number of features of its system of power. The head of state is the president, who is endowed with fairly broad powers. What is the position of the Prime Minister of France in the political system? To answer this question, it is necessary to turn to the origins of the country's current constitution.

The Fifth Republic

The end of the Second World War was the starting point of the modern political history of France. The liberation of the country from fascist occupation gave impetus to the establishment of a democratic system and the adoption of an appropriate constitution. A new basic law came into force in 1946. It began a historical period, which was called the Fourth Republic (the previous three were created and abolished after the French Revolution).

In 1958, the threat of civil war forced a revision of the constitution and increased the power of the president,who at that moment was General Charles de Gaulle. This initiative was supported by the bourgeois parties that had a majority in parliament. As a result of these events, the political history of the country entered the era of the Fifth Republic, which continues to this day.

Constitution

One of the important compromises reached during the negotiations between General Charles de Gaulle and members of Parliament was the agreement on the separation of the functions of the President and the Prime Minister of France. By joint efforts, the principles that formed the basis of the new constitution were developed. They provided for the election of the head of state exclusively by universal suffrage, the mandatory separation of the three branches of government and an independent judiciary.

The new basic law established a form of government that combines the features of a presidential and parliamentary republic. The 1958 constitution gives the head of state the power to appoint cabinet ministers. However, the government, in turn, is responsible to Parliament. The basic law of the Fifth Republic was revised several times in connection with the granting of independence to the colonies and the abolition of the death pen alty, but its main principles remained unchanged.

Political structure

The system of state power includes the President, the Prime Minister of France, the Government and Parliament, divided into two chambers: the National Assembly and the Senate. In addition, there is a Constitutional Council. It is an advisory body, which includes both members of parliament and members of the government.

Role of the President

The Constitution of 1958 reflects the views of General Charles de Gaulle on the state structure. A distinctive feature of the basic law of the Fifth Republic is the concentration of political power in the hands of the President. The head of state has considerable freedom of action in the formation of a new cabinet and personally selects candidates for the highest posts in the government. The Prime Minister of France is appointed by the President. The only condition for final approval in this post is the confidence of the National Assembly in relation to the candidate nominated by the first person of the country.

The head of state has special powers in the field of lawmaking. Acts adopted by the Parliament come into force only after their approval by the President. He has the right to return the bill for reconsideration. In addition, the head of state issues decrees and decrees that require approval only from the Prime Minister of France.

The President of the Fifth Republic is the head of the executive branch of government and at the same time has the ability to some extent influence the work of the country's legislative body. This practice fits into the concept of the national leader, proposed by Charles de Gaulle, acting as the general arbitrator.

Role of the Prime Minister

The head of government is responsible for the implementation of domestic and economic policy. The Prime Minister of France serves as chairman of the meetings of interdepartmental committees. He proposes candidates for ministerial positions for subsequent approval by the head of state. If the chairman of the government wants to resign, he must submit an application to the president, which the latter can accept or reject. It is worth noting that in the history of the Fifth Republic there was an example of a multiple Prime Minister of France. Jacques Chirac held this position twice under Presidents Valéry d'Estaing and François Mitterrand.

If the opposition party is in the majority in the National Assembly, the head of state cannot appoint the prime minister at his own discretion. In this case, the power of the President of France is significantly limited.