French Prime Minister: his role and powers

The political structure of France was formed as a result of a long constitutional development and the repeated alternation of the republican and monarchical models of the state system. The unique history of the country has caused a number of features of its power system. The head of state is the president, who is vested with broad powers. What place does the Prime Minister of France occupy in the political system? To answer this question, it is necessary to turn to the origins of the current constitution of the country.

Fifth Republic

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

In 1958, the threat of civil war forced a review of the constitution and strengthened the power of the president, who at that time was General Charles de Gaulle. This initiative was supported by the majority in the parliament of bourgeois parties. 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 achieved during the talks between General Charles de Gaulle and members of parliament was the agreement on the division of the functions of the President and the Prime Minister of France. Together, the principles that formed the basis of the new constitution were worked out. They provided for the election of the head of state solely through 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 the presidential and parliamentary republic. The Constitution of 1958 gives the head of state the right to appoint cabinet members. However, the government, in turn, is responsible to the parliament. The main 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 penalty, 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 the Constitutional Council. This is an advisory body, which includes both members of parliament and members of the government.

The role of the president

The 1958 Constitution reflects the views of General Charles de Gaulle on the state system. 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 forming a new cabinet and personally selects candidates for senior positions in the government. The Prime Minister of France is appointed to the post by the President. The only condition for the final approval of this post is the confidence of the National Assembly in relation to the candidate nominated by the country's first person.

The head of state is endowed with special powers in the field of lawmaking. The acts adopted by the Parliament come into force only after their approval by the President. He has the right to return the bill for re-examination. 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 power and at the same time has the opportunity 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 a general arbitrator.

The role of the Prime Minister

The head of government is responsible for the implementation of domestic and economic policies. The Prime Minister of France fulfills the duties of chairman at meetings of interdepartmental committees. He proposes candidacies for ministerial posts for subsequent approval by the head of state. If the prime minister wants to resign, he needs to file a statement to the president, which the latter can accept or reject. It is worth noting that in the history of the Fifth Republic was an example of the repeated prime minister of France. Jacques Chirac held this post twice under Presidents Valerie d'Estaing and Francois Mitterand.

If the opposition party is a majority in the National Assembly, the head of state can not appoint a prime minister at his own discretion. In this case, the power of the French president is considerably limited.