| Constitution of Republic of France | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Original title | (in French) Constitution française du 4 octobre 1958 |
| Jurisdiction | France |
| Ratified | 28 September 1958 |
| Date effective | 4 October 1958 |
| System | Unitary semi-presidential republic |
| Government structure | |
| Branches | Three (executive, legislative and judiciary) |
| Chambers | Two (Senate and National Assembly) |
| Executive | President-led Council of Ministers responsible to the National Assembly; Prime minister as head of government |
| Judiciary | High Court is established for presidential Impeachment purposes; an extra-judicial body, the Constitutional Council, reviews the constitutionality of laws; no other part of the court system is referenced. |
| Federalism | Unitary |
| Electoral college | No, but senate elections mandated to be indirect |
| Last amended | 2024 |
| Supersedes | French Constitution of 1946 |
| Full text | |
 Constitution of the Fifth French Republic at Wikisource | |
| Wikisource | |
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The current Constitution of France was adopted on 4 October 1958. It is typically called the Constitution of the Fifth Republic (French: la Constitution de la Cinquième République),[1] and it replaced the Constitution of the Fourth Republic of 1946 with the exception of the preamble per a 1971 decision of the Constitutional Council.[2] The current Constitution regards the separation of church and state, democracy, social welfare, and indivisibility as core principles of the French state.[3][non-primary source needed]
Charles de Gaulle was the main driving force in introducing the new constitution and inaugurating the Fifth Republic, while the text was drafted by Michel Debré. Since then, the constitution has been amended twenty-five times, through 2024.[4]
- ^ "Élysée Palace". Official website of the President of France. 20 November 2012.
- ^ République française; Secrétariat général du gouvernement (19 October 2022). "Légifrance Le service public de la diffusion du droit" [The public service for dissemination of the law]. Légifrance. Direction de l'information légale et administrative. Const. Council dec. 71-44 DC of 16 July 1971. ISSN 2270-8987. OCLC 867599055.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Conseil-constwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Les révisions constitutionnelles". Conseil Constitutionnel. Retrieved 15 June 2016.