Government of France

:This article is about the political and administrative structures of the French government. For French political parties and tendencies, see Politics of France.

Related Topics:
French - Politics of France

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In its Constitution, France declares itself to be an indivisible, laïque (roughly "secular"), democratic, and social republic. France's constitution enacts a separation of powers as well as respect for a number of constitutional rights.

Related Topics:
Constitution - France - Laïque - Secular - Democratic - Separation of powers

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The national government of France is divided into an executive, a legislative and a judiciary branch. The President has some direct executive power, but most of the formal power resides in his appointee, the Prime Minister. The President's choice for Prime Minister has to be approved by the French National Assembly, the lower house of Parliament, in practice. (see below for a discussion of the division of power between the President and Prime Minister). Parliament passes statutes and votes the budget; it also controls the action of the executive through questioning and enquiry commissions. The constitutionality of the statutes is checked by the Constitutional Council. Finally, the independent judiciary is divided into the judicial branch (dealing with civil and criminal law) and the administrative branch (dealing with recourse against executive decisions), each with their own independent supreme court. In addition, the French government includes various bodies checking against possible abuses of power and independent agencies.

Related Topics:
President - Prime Minister - French National Assembly

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France is a unitary state. However, the various legal subdivisions, the régions, départements and communes, have various attributions, and the national government is prohibited from intruding into their normal legal operations.

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