French Fifth Republic

This article describes the origins and historical development of the current French state. For information on its organization and structure, see Politics of France.

French Republic
Cinquième République française (French)
1958–present
Motto: "Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité"
"Liberty, Equality, Fraternity"
Anthem: "La Marseillaise"
Great Seal:
Obverse Reverse
Location of France (dark green) – in Europe (green & dark grey) – in the European Union (green)
Location of France (dark green)

– in Europe (green & dark grey)
– in the European Union (green)

Capital
and largest city
Paris
48°51.4′N 2°21.05′E / 48.8567°N 2.35083°E / 48.8567; 2.35083
Official language
and national language		French[II]
Religion
Secular State
[a]

In Alsace-Moselle

GovernmentUnitary semi-presidential constitutional republic
• President
Emmanuel Macron
Michel Barnier
LegislatureParliament
• Upper house
Senate
• Lower house
National Assembly
Establishment
History 
4 October 1958 (66 years)
• Established
1958
• Disestablished
present
Currency
Date formatdd/mm/yyyy (AD)
Calling code+33[III]
ISO 3166 codeFR
Internet TLD.fr[IV]
Preceded by
French Fourth Republic
Part of a series on the
History of France
Carte de France dressée pour l'usage du Roy. Delisle Guillaume (1721)
Timeline
Ancient
Prehistory  
Greek colonies 600 BC – 49 BC
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Carolingians 751–987
    West Francia 843–987
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Early modern
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Valois-Orléans kings 1498–1515
Valois-Angoulême kings 1515–1589
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Long 19th century
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    Belle Époque 1871–1914
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        Années folles 1920–1929
 1940–1944
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Fifth Republic 1958–present
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The Fifth Republic (French: Cinquième République) is France's current republican system of government. It was established on 4 October 1958 by Charles de Gaulle under the Constitution of the Fifth Republic.[3]

The Fifth Republic emerged from the collapse of the Fourth Republic, replacing the former parliamentary republic with a semi-presidential (or dual-executive) system[4] that split powers between a president as head of state and a prime minister as head of government.[5] Charles de Gaulle, who was the first French president elected under the Fifth Republic in December 1958, believed in a strong head of state, which he described as embodying l'esprit de la nation ("the spirit of the nation").[6] Under the fifth republic, the president has the right to dissolve the national assembly and hold new parliamentary elections. If the president has a majority in the national assembly, the president sets domestic policy and the prime minister puts it into practice. During a presidential mandate, the president can also change prime ministers and reshuffle the government. If there is a different majority in the national assembly, the president is forced to nominate a prime minister from a different party, which is called a cohabitation. In the beginning of the Fifth Republic, presidential elections were held every seventh year and parliamentary elections every fifth year, which meant the president and the majority elected in the national assembly could be from different parties. Starting in the year 2000, the presidential and parliamentary elections were synchronized and are held every fifth year, which means the president always has a majority. Cohabitation is still possible if the president dissolves parliament in the middle of a presidential term.

The Fifth Republic is France's third-longest-lasting political regime, after the hereditary, feudal monarchy of the Ancien Régime and the parliamentary Third Republic (4 September 1870–10 July 1940). It is expected that the Fifth Republic will overtake the Third Republic as the second-longest French regime and the longest-lasting French republic on 8 August 2028.

  1. ^ Article II of the Constitution of France (1958)
  2. ^ "The lictor's fasces". elysee.fr. 20 November 2012.
  3. ^ Loi constitutionnelle du 3 juin 1957 portant dérogation transitoire aux dispositions de l'article 90 de la Constitution (in French).
  4. ^ Lessig, Lawrence (1993). "The Path of the Presidency". East European Constitutional Review. Fall 1993 / Winter 1994 (2/3): 104 – via Chicago Unbound, University of Chicago Law School.
  5. ^ Richburg, Keith B. (25 September 2000). "French President's Term Cut to Five Years". The Washington Post. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
  6. ^ Kubicek, Paul (2015). European Politics. Routledge. pp. 154–156, 163. ISBN 978-1-317-34853-5.


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