Government Structure
France is governed by a semi-presidential parliamentary form of government. Executive power is shared between a directly elected president and a government elected by parliament and led by a Prime Minister. Parliament, which holds the country’s legislative power is bicameral, consisting of a Senate and National Assembly. The Senate contains 348 seats held by indirectly elected senators, appointed for six-year terms. The National Assembly contains 577 deputies elected to a maximum of a five year term. Elections in France are held in two rounds, the first narrowing the list of candidates to two, and the second deciding between them.
International Relations
France is a member of the European Union, the G7, and Nato, and is a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
Political Environment
The current president of France is Emmanuel Macron and the Prime Minister is Edouard Philippe. Macron, a technocratic centrist, won a tightly contested presidential election in 2017 against the right wing candidate, Marine Le Pen, under a start-up party, La Republique en Marche. The key issues of his campaign included tax reform, labor law reform, environmental regulation, and Eurozone integration. Over the last year Macron has suffered low approval ratings.
Recent Developments
Among the most dominant headlines of France is the Yellow Vests Protests. The protesters are largely working and middle class French people feeling left behind by globalization, and what they perceive as an out of touch president.
Global Politics in Under 400 Words 