France: Economic and Political Overview
The political framework of France
Political Outline
- Current Political Leaders
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President : Emmanuel Macron (since 14 May 2017; re-elected for a second term on 24 April 2022)
Prime Minister: Élisabeth Borne (since 16 May 2022) - Next Election Dates
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Presidential elections: April 2027
Senate: September 2023
National Assembly: June 2027 - Current Political Context
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As the polls predicted, the 2022 presidential elections resulted in a duel between President Emmanuel Macron (La République En Marche, centre-liberal party) and Marine Le Pen (Rassemblement National, far right), amid failed attempts to unify the left. In April 2022, Macron was re-elected for an additional 5-year term, but abstention reached a 50 year record, and Le Pen managed to gather 41.46% of the votes. As Macron’s Ensemble! (Together) coalition lost its parliamentary majority at the legislative election in June, policymaking has become more challenging, with bills likely to be passed by decree. The biggest policy challenge is the program to reform the pension system (abolition of special regimes), that previously triggered a large-scale national strike and could lead to social unrest.
On the international scene, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine dominated current affairs. Macron multiplied diplomatic efforts to find a resolution to the conflict and plead for peace during talks with Russian President Vladimir. In November 2022 on the sidelines of the G20 meetings, he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, and the two sides reaffirmed their opposition to the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine. In December, U.S. President Joe Biden invited Macron at a State Dinner, demonstrating his unity with France and NATO members against Moscow's invasion. This visit was also an opportunity for Macron to raise the issue of Biden's Inflation Reduction Act, a USD 430 billion bill that offers massive subsidies for U.S.-made products. The war lead to a global food and energy crisis and supporting purchasing power is a priority. In August, the French government approved a EUR 20 billion package of measures to help households cope with inflation. - Main Political Parties
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- The Socialist Party (PS): centre-left
- The Republicans: centre-right
- En Marche: centre, new liberal political movement founded by Emmanuel Macron
- National Rally (RN): far-right; first parliamentary representation in 1997 and gaining support amid growing voter scepticism towards the EU
- The Democratic Movement (MoDem): centrist
- Europe Ecology - The Greens (EELV): emphasises ecology and peaceful and sustainable lifestyles
- La France Insoumise (Unbowed France) (FI): far-left
- French Communist Party (PCF): communism, soft euro-scepticism - Executive Power
- The President of the Republic is the Head of State. He/She is elected by direct universal suffrage for five years. He/She appoints the Prime Minister and his/her Government at the suggestion of the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister sets the amount of the State's expenses and revenue, and prepares some bills.
- Legislative Power
- The parliament is composed of the Senate and the National Assembly. The 348 senators are elected by indirect universal suffrage for nine years, renewable by a one-third majority vote every three years. The 577 deputies (MPs) are elected by direct universal suffrage. They examine bills and private bills successively, vote laws and monitor the Government. The economic, social and environmental council has an advisory function (optional or compulsory) within the framework of the legislative process.
Indicator of Freedom of the Press
The world rankings, published annually, measures violations of press freedom worldwide. It reflects the degree of freedom enjoyed by journalists, the media and digital citizens of each country and the means used by states to respect and uphold this freedom. Finally, a note and a position are assigned to each country. To compile this index, Reporters Without Borders (RWB) prepared a questionnaire incorporating the main criteria (44 in total) to assess the situation of press freedom in a given country. This questionnaire was sent to partner organisations,150 RWB correspondents, journalists, researchers, jurists and human rights activists. It includes every kind of direct attacks against journalists and digital citizens (murders, imprisonment, assault, threats, etc.) or against the media (censorship, confiscation, searches and harassment etc.).
- World Rank:
- 34/180
Indicator of Political Freedom
The Indicator of Political Freedom provides an annual evaluation of the state of freedom in a country as experienced by individuals. The survey measures freedom according to two broad categories: political rights and civil liberties. The ratings process is based on a checklist of 10 political rights questions (on Electoral Process, Political Pluralism and Participation, Functioning of Government) and 15 civil liberties questions (on Freedom of Expression, Belief, Associational and Organizational Rights, Rule of Law, Personal Autonomy and Individual Rights). Scores are awarded to each of these questions on a scale of 0 to 4, where a score of 0 represents the smallest degree and 4 the greatest degree of rights or liberties present. The total score awarded to the political rights and civil liberties checklist determines the political rights and civil liberties rating. Each rating of 1 through 7, with 1 representing the highest and 7 the lowest level of freedom, corresponds to a range of total scores.
- Ranking:
- Free
- Political Freedom:
- 1/7
Political freedom in the world (interactive map)
Source: Freedom in the World Report, Freedom House
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Latest Update: November 2023