France

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of France

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The Politics of France take place in a framework of a semi-presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President of France is head of state and the Prime Minister of France head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The current Constitution of France was adopted on October 4, 1958. The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen (Déclaration des droits de l'Homme et du citoyen is a fundamental document of the French Revolution, defining The preamble of the Constitution of the French Fifth Republic, founded in 1958 recalls the 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. See also Government of France The Fifth Republic is the fifth and current republican constitution of France, which was introduced on The government of France is a Semi-presidential system determined by the French Constitution of the fifth Republic, in which the nation declares The President of the French Republic (Président de la République française colloquially referred to in English as the President of France, is France 's elected Nicolas Sarkozy (pronounced, Second French Republic (1848-1852 President of the Provisional Government of the Republic Jacques Charles Dupont de l'Eure (24 February 1848 The Prime Minister of France ( Premier ministre français) in Fifth Republic is the functional Head of the government and Council of Ministers François Fillon (fʁɑ̃swa fijɔ̃ born 4 March 1954 in Le Mans, Sarthe) is the current Prime Minister of France, having been appointed to that Early Modern France Chief Ministers of the French Kings Armand Jean du Plessis Cardinal Richelieu 1624-1642 Jules Cardinal The Constitutional Council ( Conseil Constitutionnel) was established by the Constitution of the Fifth Republic on 4 October 1958 This article is for the post-Revolutionary and present-day institution The French National Assembly. The other is the Senate ( “Sénat”) The Senate (Sénat is the Upper house of the Parliament of France, presided over by a president. The French Congress (Congrès du Parlement français - Congress of the French Parliament is the name given to the body created when both houses of the present-day French This article is about the present-day French institution For institutions with the same name during the Ancien Régime in France see Conseil du Roi. The Court of Cassation ( Cour de cassation in French) is the main Court of last resort in France. Political parties in France lists political parties in France. Gaullism (Gaullisme is a French political ideology based on the thought and action of Charles de Gaulle. The Left in France at the beginning of the 20th century was represented by two main Political parties, the Republican Radical and Radical-Socialist Party France is a Representative democracy. Public officials in the legislative and executive branches are either elected by the citizens (directly or indirectly or appointed by elected The French presidential election of 1958 the first of the French Fifth Republic, took place on December 21, 1958. The 1965 French presidential election was the first presidential election by direct universal suffrage of the French Fifth Republic. The 1969 French presidential election took place on 1 June and 15 June 1969 French legislative elections took place on March 4 and 11 1973 to elect the 5th National Assembly of the Fifth Republic. Presidential elections were held in France in 1974 following the death of President Georges Pompidou. The French legislative elections took place on March 12 and March 19, 1978 to elect the 6th National Assembly of the Fifth Republic The French presidential election of 1981 was won by François Mitterrand, the first Socialist President of the Fifth Republic. French legislative elections took place on June 14 and 21 1981 to elect the 7th National Assembly of the Fifth Republic. The French legislative elections took place on March 16 1986 to elect the 8th National Assembly of the Fifth Republic. Presidential elections were held in France on 24 April and 8 May 1988 French legislative elections took place on June 5 and 12 1988 to elect the 9th National Assembly of the Fifth Republic, one month after the re-election of François French legislative elections took place on March 21 and 28 1993 to elect the 10th National Assembly of the Fifth Republic. Presidential elections took place in France on 23 April and 7 May 1995 to elect the fifth president of the Fifth Republic. French legislative election took place in May 25 and June 1 1997 to elect the 11th National Assembly of the Fifth Republic. The 2002 French presidential election consisted of a first round election on 21 April 2002 and a runoff election between the top two candidates ( Jacques Chirac and The French legislative elections took place on June 9 and June 16, 2002 to elect the 12th National Assembly of the Fifth Republic, The 2007 French presidential election, the ninth of the Fifth French Republic was held to elect the successor to Jacques Chirac as president of France The French legislative elections took place on 10 June and 17 June 2007 to elect the 13th National Assembly of the Fifth Republic, |||} Metropolitan France As of January 1, 2008, Metropolitan France is divided into 22 regions (including Corsica, although France is divided into 26 regions or régions (in French of which 21 are in continental Metropolitan France, one is the island of Corsica, In the context of the political and geographic organization of France and many of its former colonies a department (département depaʁtǝmɑ̃ is an Administrative division The European Union is a unique entity possessing elements of Intergovernmentalism, Supranationalism and a Multi-party Parliamentary democracy A charter member of the United Nations, France holds one of the permanent seats in the Security Council and is a member of most of its specialized and related agencies The Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Government of France, is the cabinet minister responsible for the Foreign relations of France. This is a list of major Political scandals in France: Until 1958 1816 - Shipwreck of and search for French Frigate Information on politics by country is available for every Country, including both De jure and De facto independent This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. In standard conditions France does not have Censorship laws being a Liberal democracy respectful of Freedom of press. The Culture of France and of the French people has been shaped by its geography, by profound historical events, and by foreign and As of January 1, 2008, 64473140 people live in the French Republic. The French educational system is highly centralized organised and ramified This article addresses the current economic situation of France Public Holidays in France are There are a number of languages of France. The French language is by far the most widely spoken and the only Official language of France, but several The preamble of the Constitution of the French Fifth Republic, founded in 1958 recalls the 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. Poverty in France has fallen by 60% over thirty years Although it affected 15% of the population in 1970 in 2001 only 6 France is a secular country where Freedom of thought and of religion are preserved in virtue of the 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the The most-watched sports in France is football. Other popular sports include Handball, Basketball, Rugby union, Cycling, Sailing and The modern social structure in France started in the late 1950s and is based on three distinct classes The social situation in the French suburbs, known as Banlieues ' is a complex topic The semi-presidential system is a System of government in which a prime minister and a President are both active participants in the day-to-day administration Representative democracy is a form of government founded on the principles of the people's representatives A republic is a State or Country that is not led by a hereditary Monarch, but in which the people (or at least a part of its people have impact on its The President of the French Republic (Président de la République française colloquially referred to in English as the President of France, is France 's elected Head of state is the generic term for the individual or collective office that serves as the chief public representative of a Monarchic or Republican Nation-state The Prime Minister of France ( Premier ministre français) in Fifth Republic is the functional Head of the government and Council of Ministers This article focuses on the cases where the Head of Government is a separate office from the Head of State A multi-party system is a system in which three or more political parties have the capacity to gain control of government separately or in coalition Executive power is exercised by the government. In Political science and Constitutional law, the executive is the branch of government responsible for the day-to-day management of the State. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the Senate and National Assembly. A legislature is a type of representative Deliberative assembly with the power to create amend and change Laws The law created by a legislature is called Legislation For the government of parliamentary systems see Executive (government. The Senate (Sénat is the Upper house of the Parliament of France, presided over by a president. The French National Assembly. The other is the Senate ( “Sénat”) The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. In Law, the judiciary or judicial system is the system of Courts which administer Justice in the name of the sovereign or State

Left and Right in France and main political parties

Since the 1789 French Revolution, the political spectrum in France has obeyed the left-right distinction. The French Revolution (1789–1799 was a period of political and social upheaval in the History of France, during which the French governmental structure previously an A political spectrum (plural Spectra) is a way of modeling different political positions by placing them upon one or more geometric axes Left-right politics or the Left-right political spectrum is a common way of classifying political positions political ideologies, or political parties

The Lefts

Further information: History of the Left in France

At the beginning of the 20th century, the French Left divided itself into reformists and revolutionaries: beside the Republican, Radical and Radical-Socialist Party and the SFIO (French Section of the Workers' International) of Léon Blum, the French Communist Party (PCF) remained an important force to take into account despite it remaining in the opposition since the May 1947 crisis. The Left in France at the beginning of the 20th century was represented by two main Political parties, the Republican Radical and Radical-Socialist Party The Left in France at the beginning of the 20th century was represented by two main Political parties, the Republican Radical and Radical-Socialist Party The Radical Party ( Parti Radical, Rad also known as Parti radical valoisien) is a liberal and centrist political party in France André Léon Blum (9 April 1872 30 March 1950 was a French politician usually identified with the moderate left and three times the Prime Minister of France. The French Communist Party ( French: Parti communiste français or PCF) is a political party in France which advocates the principles of After World War I and the 1920 Tours Congress leading to the creation of the SFIC (future PCF), the Left was in power during the Cartel des gauches (Left-Wing Coalition), from 1924 to 1926 and from 1932 to the 6 February 1934 crisis, and then under the Popular Front in 1936. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All The Tours Congress was the 18th national congress of the SFIO, the French Section of the Second International, which took place in December 1920 and during which the The Cartel des gauches ( French for Left-wing Coalition) designed the governmental alliance between the Radical-Socialist Party and the socialist The 6 February 1934 crisis refers to an Anti-parliamentarist demonstration organised in Paris by Far-right leagues (antiparliamentarian The Popular Front (French Front populaire) was an alliance of left-wing movements including the French Communist Party (PCF the Socialist

The PCF was however contested on its left by various parties and by the New Left or Seconde Gauche, including Cornelius Castoriadis's Socialisme ou Barbarie from 1948 to 1965, Arlette Laguiller's Workers' Struggle (LO), the Revolutionary Communist League (LCR) or the various anarchist movements. The New Left were the Left-wing movements in different countries in the 1960s and 1970s that unlike the earlier leftist focus on union activism instead adopted a Cornelius Castoriadis (Κορνήλιος Καστοριάδης ( March 11 1922 - December 26 1997) was a Greek - French Socialisme ou Barbarie (Socialism or Barbarism was a French-based radical Libertarian socialist group of the post- World War II period (the name comes from Arlette Yvonne Laguiller (born March 18, 1940) is a French Trotskyist politician Workers' Struggle ( Lutte Ouvrière) is the usual name under which the Communist Union ( Union Communiste) (Trotskyist a French Trotskyist The Revolutionary Communist League ( Ligue communiste révolutionnaire) (LCR is a French democratic Revolutionary socialist Political party Anarchism in France dates from the 18th century Many Anarchists such as the Egalitarians took part in the French Revolution. Others components of the New Left included the environmentalists (who would eventually found the Greens in 1982) or advocates of new social movements (including Michel Foucault, Gilles Deleuze, etc. Environmentalism is a broad philosophy and Social movement centered on a concern for the conservation and improvement of the environment. Les Verts (or The Greens are an Ecologist Political party to the Centre-left of the Political spectrum in France. The term new social movements (NSMs is a theory of Social movements that attempts to explain the plethora of new movements that have come up in various western societies Michel Foucault ( (15 October 1926 – 25 June 1984 was a French philosopher, Historian, Intellectual, Critic and Sociologist. Gilles Deleuze ( (January 18 1925 &ndash November 4 1995 was a French philosopher of the late 20th century ). The Unified Socialist Party (PSU) was formed in 1960 by the merger of a the Parti social autonome (a spin-of the social-democrat Socialist Party (PS), which replaced the SFIO in 1969), the Union de la gauche socialiste (UGS) and the Tribune communiste current in the PCF (led by Jean Poperen). The Unified Socialist Party ( French: Parti Socialiste Unifié, PSU) was a socialist Political party in France, founded The Socialist Party ( Parti Socialiste, PS is the largest left-wing political party in France. The Union de la gauche socialiste (UGS Union of the Socialist Left was a French movement of left-wing activists founded at the end of 1957 by dissidents of the SFIO main Headed by Michel Rocard, the PSU, related to the CFDT trade-union, advocated at its origins auto-gestion. Michel Rocard (born 23 August 1930 is a French politician, member of the Socialist Party (PS Template talkInfobox Union for usage -->The Confédération Française Démocratique du Travail ( CFDT or "French Worker self-management (or autogestion) is a form of workplace decision-making in which the workers themselves agree on choices (for issues like customer care general production

Finally, the Radical Party, which inherited of the tradition of the French Left and of Radical Republicanism (sharing left-wing traits such as anti-clericalism), progressively slid more and more to the center, being one of the main governing parties of the Third Republic after World War I. The Radical Party ( Parti Radical, Rad also known as Parti radical valoisien) is a liberal and centrist political party in France For opposition to all forms of government social hierarchy or authority see Anarchism. Anti-clericalism is a historical movement that opposes Religious (generally Catholic institutional power and influence real or alleged in all aspects of public and political The French Third Republic (in French, La Troisième République, sometimes written as La IIIe World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Despite some ambiguities (support to Pierre Mendès-France's center-left Republican Front during the 1956 legislative elections), it finally embraced economic liberalism and slid to the center-right. The Republican Front was a French center-left coalition which won the 1956 legislative election. French legislative elections to elect the 3rd National Assembly of the Fourth Republic took place on 2 January 1956 using Party-list proportional Economic liberalism is the Economic component of Classical liberalism. In 1972, Radicals still anchored in the left spun out to form the Left Radical Party (PRG), which has remained to this day an ally of the PS. The Radical Party of the Left ( Parti Radical de Gauche, PRG is a minor social-liberal and social-democratic political party in France Finally, in 1993, Jean-Pierre Chevènement left the PS to form the Citizen and Republican Movement (MRP), a left-wing euro-sceptic party attached to the tradition of Republicanism and universalism (secularism, equal opportunities, opposition to multiculturalism, etc. Jean-Pierre Chevènement (born 9 March 1939) is a French Politician. The Citizen and Republican Movement ( Mouvement républicain et citoyen) is a Political party in France. Euroscepticism Euro (disambiguation --> has become a general term for opposition to the process Universalism can be classified as a Religion, Theology and Philosophy that generally holds all persons and creatures are related to God or the Divine and Secularism is generally the assertion that governmental practices or institutions should exist separately from Religion or religious beliefs Equal opportunity is a term which has differing definitions and there is no consensus as to the precise meaning The term multiculturalism generally refers to a state of racial, cultural and ethnic diversity within the Demographics of a specified ).

The Right-wings

Further information: Liberalism and Radicalism in France and History of the far-right in France

On the other hand, the right-wing has been divided, according to historian René Rémond's famous classification, into three broad families, classified in the chronological order of their appearance:

• the Legitimists, counter-revolutionaries who opposed all change since the French Revolution. Liberalism and radicalism in France do not form the same type of ideology The far-right tradition in France founds its origins as the distinction of left and right in politics itself to the 1789 French Revolution. René Rémond (born September 30, 1918 - April 14 2007) was a French historian and political economist Legitimists are Royalists in France who believe that the King of France and Navarre must be chosen according to the simple application of the A counter-revolutionary is anyone who opposes a Revolution, particularly those who act after a revolution to try to overturn or reverse it in full or in part These included the ultra-royalists during the Bourbon Restoration; the Action française (AF) monarchist movement; the supporters of the Vichy regime's Révolution nationale; the activists of the OAS during the Algerian War (1954-62); most components of Jean-Marie Le Pen's National Front (FN), including Catholic fundamentalists such as Marcel Lefebvre's Society of St. Pius X; and finally Philippe de Villiers' Movement for France (MPF);
• the Orleanists, who had rallied the Republic at the end of the 19th century and advocated economic liberalism (referred to in French as simply libéralisme). The term Ultra-Royalists or simply Ultras refers to a Reactionary faction which sat in the French parliament from 1815 Following the ousting of Napoleon I of France in 1814 the Allies restored the Bourbon Dynasty to the French throne The Action Française is a French Monarchist ( Orléanist) Counter-revolutionary movement and periodical founded by Maurice Pujo and Vichy France, or the Vichy regime are the common terms used to describe the government of France from July 1940 to August 1944 The Révolution nationale ( National Revolution) was the official ideological name under which the Vichy regime ("the French state" The Organisation de l'armée secrète ( OAS &mdash or Organisation armée secrète, lit The Algerian War ( French: Guerre d'Algérie; 1954-1962 also known as Algerian War of Independence, led to Algeria 's independence from Jean-Marie Le Pen (born June 20, 1928, La Trinité-sur-Mer, Brittany, France) is a French far-right Nationalist The National Front ( FN, Front national is a French Far right, Nationalist Political party, founded in 1972 by Jean-Marie Traditionalist Catholics are Roman Catholics, or people who identify as Roman Catholics who believe that there should be a restoration of many or all of the liturgical Marcel-François Lefebvre ( November 29 1905 – March 25 1991) better known as Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, was a French The Society of St Pius X ( SSPX) is an international Traditionalist Catholic organisation whose official Latin name is Fraternitas Sacerdotalis Philippe de Villiers (born Viscount Philippe Le Jolis de Villiers de Saintignon on March 25, 1949) was the Mouvement pour la France The Movement for France ( French: Mouvement pour la France) or MPF is a French conservative, Traditionalist and economically The Orléanists were a French Right-wing / Center-right Political faction or party which arose out of the French Revolution Economic liberalism is the Economic component of Classical liberalism. These included the right-wing of the Radical Party, the Democratic and Socialist Union of the Resistance (UDSR), the Christian-democrat Popular Republican Movement (MRP), Valéry Giscard d'Estaing's Independent Republicans (RI), the Union for a French Democracy (UDF) and, today, a large majority of the politicians of Nicolas Sarkozy's Union for a Popular Movement (UMP). The Radical Party ( Parti Radical, Rad also known as Parti radical valoisien) is a liberal and centrist political party in France The Democratic and Socialist Union of the Resistance ( Union démocratique et socialiste de la Résistance or UDSR was a French right-of-center political party found at The Popular Republican Movement ( Mouvement Républicain Populaire or MRP) was a French Christian democratic party of the Fourth Republic Valéry Marie René Georges Giscard d'Estaing (born 2 February 1926 is a French centre - right politician who was President of the French The Independent Republicans were a French conservative political group founded in 1962 which became a political party in 1966 The Union for French Democracy ( Union pour la Démocratie Française, UDF was a French centrist Political party. Nicolas Sarkozy (pronounced,
• the Bonapartists, a family in which René Rémond included Charles de Gaulle's various parties (first the Rally of the French People, RPF, then the Union of Democrats for the Republic, UDR), but also Boulangisme or Poujadisme. In French political history Bonapartism has two meanings In a strict sense this term refers to people who Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle ( ( 22 November 1890 – 9 November 1970) was a French General and statesman who led the Free French The Rally of the French People ( French Rassemblement du Peuple Français or RPF) was a French political party led by Charles de Gaulle Union of Democrats for the Republic ( French: Union des Démocrates pour la République, UDR was a Gaullist Political party of France from Robert Poujade is an unrelated French politician Pierre Poujade ( December 1, 1920 – August 27, 2003

The Gaullist UDR was then transformed by Jacques Chirac in the Rally for the Republic (RPR) in 1976, a neo-Gaullist party which embraced economic liberalism. The Rally for the Republic ( French: Rassemblement pour la République, RPR) was a French Right-wing Political party In 2002 the RPR became the Union for the Presidential Majority and then the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) in an attempt to unify the French conservatives together. However, a small section of the former UDF, headed by François Bayrou, refused to align themselves on Nicolas Sarkozy's lines, and created the MoDem in an attempt to make space for a center-right party. François Bayrou (fʁɑ̃swa·bajʁu Francés Vairon in Occitan) is a French centerist Politician, president of Union for French Democracy Nicolas Sarkozy (pronounced, The Democratic Movement ( Mouvement démocrate, MoDem is a centrist and Pro-European French political party that was founded

In conclusion, Jean-Marie Le Pen managed to unify most of the French far-right in the National Front (FN), created in 1972 in the aftermaths of the Algerian War (1954-62), and which succeeded in gaining some influence starting in the 1980s. Jean-Marie Le Pen (born June 20, 1928, La Trinité-sur-Mer, Brittany, France) is a French far-right Nationalist The far-right tradition in France founds its origins as the distinction of left and right in politics itself to the 1789 French Revolution. The National Front ( FN, Front national is a French Far right, Nationalist Political party, founded in 1972 by Jean-Marie The Algerian War ( French: Guerre d'Algérie; 1954-1962 also known as Algerian War of Independence, led to Algeria 's independence from Residual monarchists movements, inheritors of Charles Maurras' Action française (AF), also managed to survive, although many of them joined Le Pen's FN in the 1980s. __FORCETOC__ Charles Maurras ( 20 April 1868 Martigues Bouches-du-Rhône France – 16 November 1952) was The Action Française is a French Monarchist ( Orléanist) Counter-revolutionary movement and periodical founded by Maurice Pujo and Some neo-fascists who considered Le Pen to be too moderate broke away in 1974 to form the Parti des forces nouvelles (PFN), which maintained close links to the far-right students'union Groupe Union Défense (GUD). This page specifically pertains to fascism after World War II Groupe Union Droit or Groupe Union Défense or Groupe Unité Défense, better known as GUD, is the name of a succession of violent French Another important theoretical influence in the far-right appeared in the 1980s with Alain de Benoist's Nouvelle Droite movement, organized into the GRECE. Alain de Benoist (born 11 December 1943) is a French academic philosopher a founder of the Nouvelle Droite (New Right and head Nouvelle Droite ( New Right) is a school of political thought founded largely on the works of Alain de Benoist and GRECE (Research The Groupement de recherche et d'études pour la civilisation européenne ("Research and Study Group for European Civilization" also known by its French acronym Despite Le Pen's success in remaining present at the second turn of the 21 April 2002 presidential election, his party has been weakened by Bruno Mégret's spin-out, leading to the creation of the National Republican Movement (MNR), as well as by the concurrence of Philippe de Villiers' Movement for France (MPF), and also by the internal struggles concerning Le Pen's forthcoming succession. The 2002 French presidential election consisted of a first round election on 21 April 2002 and a runoff election between the top two candidates ( Jacques Chirac and Bruno Mégret (born 4 April 1949 is a French Far-right Politician. The National Republican Movement ( Mouvement National Républicain or MNR) is a French Far-right Political party, created by Philippe de Villiers (born Viscount Philippe Le Jolis de Villiers de Saintignon on March 25, 1949) was the Mouvement pour la France The Movement for France ( French: Mouvement pour la France) or MPF is a French conservative, Traditionalist and economically The leader was Michael Gimote

The Fifth Republic (1958-1981)

Further information: France during the twentieth century and French Fifth Republic

During the Fifth Republic, founded in 1958 amid the troubles brought by the Algerian War (1954-62), France was ruled by successive right-wing administrations until 1981. The History of France from 1914 to the present includes the later years of the Third Republic (1871–1941 World War I (1914–18 See also Government of France The Fifth Republic is the fifth and current republican constitution of France, which was introduced on See also Government of France The Fifth Republic is the fifth and current republican constitution of France, which was introduced on The Algerian War ( French: Guerre d'Algérie; 1954-1962 also known as Algerian War of Independence, led to Algeria 's independence from In Politics, right-wing, the political right, and the Right are positions that uphold traditional values and/or authorities The successive governments generally applied the Gaullist program of national independence, and modernization in a dirigiste fashion. Gaullism (Gaullisme is a French political ideology based on the thought and action of Charles de Gaulle. Dirigisme (from the French) (in English also "dirigism" although per the OED both spellings are used is an Economic term designating an economy The Gaullist government, however, was criticized for its heavy-handedness: while elections were free, the state had a monopoly on radio and TV broadcasting and sought to have its point of view on events imposed (this monopoly was not absolute, however, since there were radio stations transmitting from nearby countries specifically for the benefit of the French). Although Gaullism, which had gained legitimity during World War II, initially also attracted several left-wing individuals, Gaullism in government became decidedly conservative. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including In 1962, de Gaulle had the French citizens vote in a referendum concerning the election of the president at universal suffrage, something which had been discredited since Napoleon III's 1851 coup. A referendum concerning the election of the President of France through Universal suffrage was held in France on October 28, 1962. Napoléon III, also known as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte (full name Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte) (20 April 1808 9 January 1873 was the first President The French Coup d'état of December 2nd 1851 staged by Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte (at the time President of the Second French Republic) ended in the successful dissolution 3/5th of the voters approved however the referendum, and thereafter the President of the French Republic was elected at universal suffrage, giving him increased authority on the Parliament. The President of the French Republic (Président de la République française colloquially referred to in English as the President of France, is France 's elected De Gaulle won the 1965 presidential election, opposed on his left by François Mitterrand who had taken the lead of the Federation of the Democratic and Socialist Left (FGDS), a coalition of most left-wing parties (apart from the French Communist Party (PCF), then led by Waldeck Rochet who did call to vote for Mitterrand). The 1965 French presidential election was the first presidential election by direct universal suffrage of the French Fifth Republic. François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand ( 26 October 1916 8 January 1996 served as President of France from 1981 to 1995 elected as representative of the Socialist The Federation of the Democratic and Socialist Left ( Fédération de la gauche démocrate et socialiste or FGDS was a conglomerate of French Left-wing The French Communist Party ( French: Parti communiste français or PCF) is a political party in France which advocates the principles of Waldeck Rochet ( April 5 1905, Sainte-Croix in Saône-et-Loire &mdash February 17, 1983, Nanterre) was a

In May 1968, a series of worker strikes and student riots rocked France. For other events in May 1968 see 1968. These did not, however, result in an immediate change of government, with a right-wing administration being triumphantly reelected in the snap election of June 1968. French legislative elections took place on June 23 and 30 1968 to elect the 4th National Assembly of the Fifth Republic. However, in 1969 the French electorate turned down a referendum on the reform of the French Senate proposed by de Gaulle. A referendum on constitutional amendments that would have led to government decentralization and Senate reform was held in France on April 27, 1969. Since the latter had always declared that in the eventuality of a "NO" to a referendum he would resign, the referendum was also a plebiscite. A referendum (plural referendums or referenda) ballot question, or plebiscite (from Latin plebiscita Thus, the rejection of the reform by more than 52% of the voters was widely considered to be mostly motivated by weariness with de Gaulle, and ultimately provoked his resignation that year.

May '68 and its aftermaths saw the occupation of the LIP factory in Besançon, one of the major social conflict of the 1970s, during which the CFDT and the Unified Socialist Party (PSU), of which Pierre Mendès-France was a member, theorized workers' self-management. LIP is a French clock company whose turmoil became emblematic of the conflicts between workers and management in France Besançon (bəzɑ̃ˈsɔ̃ in French and Arpitan; German: Bisanz) is the capital and principal city of the Franche-Comté Template talkInfobox Union for usage -->The Confédération Française Démocratique du Travail ( CFDT or "French Worker self-management (or autogestion) is a form of workplace decision-making in which the workers themselves agree on choices (for issues like customer care general production Apart of the PSU, the autonomist movement, inspired by Italian operaismo, made its first appearance on the political scene. Autonomism refers to a set of Left-wing political and social movements and theories close to the socialist movement. Workerism is a name given to different trends in Left-wing political discourse especially Anarchism and Marxism.

Georges Pompidou, de Gaulle's Prime Minister, was elected in 1969, remaining President until his death in 1974. Georges Jean Raymond Pompidou (5 July 1911 2 April 1974 was President of the French Republic from 1969 until his death in 1974 The 1969 French presidential election took place on 1 June and 15 June 1969 In 1972, 3/5 of the French approved by referendum the enlargement of the European Economic Community (CEE) to the United Kingdom, Denmark, Ireland, and Norway. A referendum concerning the accession of the United Kingdom, Denmark, Ireland, and Norway to the ECC was held in France on April 23 The European Community (EC is one of the Three pillars of the European Union (EU created under the Maastricht Treaty (1992 After Pompidou's sudden death, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing managed to overhaul the remaining Gaullist barons — with the help of Jacques Chirac —, and won the subsequent election against François Mitterrand on the left. Valéry Marie René Georges Giscard d'Estaing (born 2 February 1926 is a French centre - right politician who was President of the French Presidential elections were held in France in 1974 following the death of President Georges Pompidou. François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand ( 26 October 1916 8 January 1996 served as President of France from 1981 to 1995 elected as representative of the Socialist Giscard transformed the ORTF, the state organism in charge of medias, and created several different channels, including Radio France. The Office de Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française ( ORTF) was the national agency charged between 1964 and 1974 with providing public radio and television in France Radio France is the French radio broadcaster. Mission Radio France's two principal missions are To create and expand the programming However, it was not until François Mitterrand's accession to the Elysée Palace in 1981 that medias were liberalized. François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand ( 26 October 1916 8 January 1996 served as President of France from 1981 to 1995 elected as representative of the Socialist

The Fifth Republic (1981-1995)

In 1981, François Mitterrand, a Social Democrat, was elected president, on a program of far-reaching reforms (110 Propositions for France). François Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand ( 26 October 1916 8 January 1996 served as President of France from 1981 to 1995 elected as representative of the Socialist The Socialist Party ( Parti Socialiste, PS is the largest left-wing political party in France. The French presidential election of 1981 was won by François Mitterrand, the first Socialist President of the Fifth Republic. This was enabled by the 1972 Common Program between the French Socialist Party (PS), the Left Radical Party (PRG) and the French Communist Party (PCF) — which had remained, just as in Italy, a strong party through-out the Cold War. The Socialist Party ( Parti Socialiste, PS is the largest left-wing political party in France. The Radical Party of the Left ( Parti Radical de Gauche, PRG is a minor social-liberal and social-democratic political party in France The French Communist Party ( French: Parti communiste français or PCF) is a political party in France which advocates the principles of The politics of Italy take place in a framework of a parliamentary, democratic Republic, and of a Multi-party system. Cold War is the state of conflict tension and competition that existed between the United States and the Soviet Union (USSR and their respective allies from the After securing a majority in parliament through a snap election, his government ran a program of social and economic reforms:

• social policies:
  • abolition of the death penalty;
  • removal of legislation criminalizing certain homosexual behaviors: lowering of the age of consent for homosexual sex to that for heterosexual sex (since the French Revolution, France had never criminalized homosexuality between adults in private);
  • liberalization of media
  • creation of a solidarity tax on wealth (ISF) and reform of the inheritance tax
• economic policies:
  • the government embarked on a wave of nationalizations;
  • the duration of the legal workweek was set to 39 hours, instead of the previous 40 hours. French legislative elections took place on June 14 and 21 1981 to elect the 7th National Assembly of the Fifth Republic. Capital punishment in France existed officially from the Middle Ages and was abolished in 1981 Homosexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of the same sex or to a Homosexual orientation. The French Revolution (1789–1799 was a period of political and social upheaval in the History of France, during which the French governmental structure previously an The solidarity tax on wealth (in French L'impôt de solidarité sur la fortune or ISF) is a French annual direct Wealth tax Estate tax and Death duty redirect here Inheritance tax, estate tax and death duty are the names given to various taxes which Nationalization, also spelled nationalisation, is the act of taking an industry or assets into the Public ownership of a national government
  • increase of the SMIC minimum wages
• institutional reforms:
  • repealing of exceptional judicial procedures (court-martials in peace-time, etc. A minimum wage is the lowest hourly daily or monthly Wage that employers may legally pay to employees or workers )

However, in 1983, high inflation and economic woes forced a dramatic turnaround with respect to economic policies, known as rigueur (rigor) – the Socialist-Communist government then embarked on policies of fiscal and spending restraint. This article addresses the current economic situation of France Though the nationalizations were subsequently reversed by both subsequent left-wing and right-wing governments, the social reforms undertaken have remained standing. Furthermore, the end of the Trente Glorieuses (Thirty Glorious) period of growth witnesses the beginning of a structural unemployment, which became an important political issue. Les Trente Glorieuses ("The Glorious Thirty" refers to the thirty years from 1945-1975 following the end of the Second World War in 1945 in Structural unemployment is long-term and chronic unemployment arising from imbalances between the skills and other characteristics of workers in the market and the needs of employers ( Since the 1980s, unemployment has remained permanently high, at about 10% of the population, regardless of the policies applied to fight it.

In 1986, Jacques Chirac's neo-Gaullist Rally for the Republic (RPR) party won the legislative election. The Rally for the Republic ( French: Rassemblement pour la République, RPR) was a French Right-wing Political party The French legislative elections took place on March 16 1986 to elect the 8th National Assembly of the Fifth Republic. For the first time in the Fifth Republic, a left-wing President was forced to compose with a right-wing Prime minister, leading to the first cohabitation. Cohabitation in government occurs in Semi-presidential systems such as France 's system when the President is from a different Political party Although many commentators were surprised at the time, and considered it to be an institutional crisis, some claiming the Fifth Republic could not accommodate itself of such rivalry at the head of the state, cohabitation repeated itself after the 1993 elections, when the RPR again won the elections, and then after the 1997 elections, when the Socialist Party won, leading to the constitution of Lionel Jospin's Plural Left government while Chirac was only at the beginning of his first presidential term. French legislative elections took place on March 21 and 28 1993 to elect the 10th National Assembly of the Fifth Republic. French legislative election took place in May 25 and June 1 1997 to elect the 11th National Assembly of the Fifth Republic. Lionel Jospin (born 12 July 1937 is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France, during the third " cohabitation " The Gauche Plurielle (French for Plural Left) was a left-wing coalition in France composed of the Socialist Party ( Parti socialiste or PS the French The tradition in periods of "cohabitation" (a President of one party, prime minister of another) is for the President to exercise the primary role in foreign and security policy, with the dominant role in domestic policy falling to the prime minister and his government. Jospin stated, however, that he would not a priori leave any domain exclusively to the President, as that was a tradition issued from de Gaulle.

Since then, the government alternated between a left-wing coalition (composed of the French Socialist Party (PS), the French Communist Party (PCF) and more recently Les Verts, the Greens) and a right-wing coalition (composed of Jacques Chirac's Rally for the Republic (RPR), later replaced by the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP), and the Union for French Democracy, UDF). The Socialist Party ( Parti Socialiste, PS is the largest left-wing political party in France. The French Communist Party ( French: Parti communiste français or PCF) is a political party in France which advocates the principles of Les Verts (or The Greens are an Ecologist Political party to the Centre-left of the Political spectrum in France. The Rally for the Republic ( French: Rassemblement pour la République, RPR) was a French Right-wing Political party The Union for French Democracy ( Union pour la Démocratie Française, UDF was a French centrist Political party. Those two coalitions are fairly stable; there have been none of the mid-term coalition reorganizations and governments frequently overthrown which were commonplace under the Fourth Republic.

The 1980s and 1990s saw also the rise of Jean-Marie Le Pen's National Front (FN), a far-right party which blames immigration, more particularly immigration from North African countries such as Algeria, for increased unemployment and crime. Jean-Marie Le Pen (born June 20, 1928, La Trinité-sur-Mer, Brittany, France) is a French far-right Nationalist The National Front ( FN, Front national is a French Far right, Nationalist Political party, founded in 1972 by Jean-Marie The far-right tradition in France founds its origins as the distinction of left and right in politics itself to the 1789 French Revolution. Algeria ( ar [[Arabic]] الجزائر, Al Jaza'ir ælʤæˈzæːʔir Amazigh: ⴷⵥⴰⵢⴻⵔ Dzayer) officially the People's Unemployment occurs when a person is available to work and currently seeking work but the person is without work. The social situation in the French suburbs (banlieues: literally, "suburbs", but in France a euphemism for large suburban housing projects for the poor, with a high proportion of the population of North African descent) still have to be successfully tackled. The social situation in the French suburbs, known as Banlieues ' is a complex topic Jean-Marie Le Pen's relative success at the French Presidential election, 2002 has been attributed in part to concerns about juvenile criminality. The 2002 French presidential election consisted of a first round election on 21 April 2002 and a runoff election between the top two candidates ( Jacques Chirac and

Massive general strikes followed by all the trade-unions were triggered in November-December 1995, paralyzing France, in protest against the Juppé plan of libéral (in French, free market) reforms. The 1995 strikes in France were a series of General strikes in France, mostly in the Public sector in late 1995 Alain Marie Juppé (born 15 August 1945 is a French right-wing politician who served as Prime Minister of France from 1995 to 1997 under President Jacques Chirac These strikes were generally considered a turning point in the French social movement. It remains to be seen how much of these reforms will now be enacted by Sarkozy's first government, as Sarkozy was elected President on a similar platform in May 2007.

The Fifth Republic (1995-2007)

Further information: Jacques Chirac's second term as President of France

During his first 2 years in office, President Jacques Chirac's prime minister was Alain Juppé, who served contemporaneously as leader of Chirac's neo-Gaullist (RPR) Party. At age 69 Jacques Chirac faced his fourth campaign for the French Presidency in 2002 Alain Marie Juppé (born 15 August 1945 is a French right-wing politician who served as Prime Minister of France from 1995 to 1997 under President Jacques Chirac Gaul (Gallia was the Roman name for the region of Western Europe comprising present day northern Italy, France, Belgium, western The Rally for the Republic ( French: Rassemblement pour la République, RPR) was a French Right-wing Political party Chirac and Juppé benefited from a very large, if rather unruly, majority in the National Assembly (470 out of 577 seats). However, the administration was increasingly embroiled in corruption scandals regarding the past of the RPR (see Corruption scandals in the Paris region); furthermore, some reforms were highly unpopular and caused a series of strikes. In the 1980s and 1990s there were in the Paris region ( Île-de-France) multiple instances of alleged and proved Political corruption cases as well as cases of abuse Strike action, often simply called a strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal by Employees to perform work. Mindful that the government might have to take politically costly decisions in advance of the legislative elections planned for spring 1998 in order to ensure that France met the Maastricht criteria for the single currency of the EU, Chirac decided in April of 1997 to call early elections. The Maastricht Treaty (formally the Treaty on European Union, TEU) was signed on 7 February 1992 in Maastricht, the Netherlands after final Please update other articles as well to avoid contradiction within Wikipedia e French legislative election took place in May 25 and June 1 1997 to elect the 11th National Assembly of the Fifth Republic.

The Left, led by Socialist Party leader Lionel Jospin, whom Chirac had defeated in the 1995 presidential race, unexpectedly won a solid National Assembly majority (319 seats, with 289 required for an absolute majority). The Left in France at the beginning of the 20th century was represented by two main Political parties, the Republican Radical and Radical-Socialist Party The Socialist Party ( Parti Socialiste, PS is the largest left-wing political party in France. Lionel Jospin (born 12 July 1937 is a French politician who served as Prime Minister of France, during the third " cohabitation " Presidential elections took place in France on 23 April and 7 May 1995 to elect the fifth president of the Fifth Republic. President Chirac named Jospin prime minister on June 2, and Jospin went on to form a Plural Left government composed primarily of Socialist ministers, along with some ministers from allied parties of the Left, such as the Communist Party and the Greens. The Gauche Plurielle (French for Plural Left) was a left-wing coalition in France composed of the Socialist Party ( Parti socialiste or PS the French The French Communist Party ( French: Parti communiste français or PCF) is a political party in France which advocates the principles of Jospin stated his support for continued European integration and his intention to keep France on the path towards Economic and Monetary Union, albeit with greater attention to social concerns.

Chirac and Jospin worked together, for the most part, in the foreign affairs field with representatives of the presidency and the government pursuing a single, agreed French policy. Their "cohabitation" arrangement was the longest-lasting in the history of the Fifth Republic. However, it ended subsequent to the National Assembly elections that followed Chirac's decisive defeat of Jospin (who failed even to make it through to the second round of voting) in the 2002 presidential election. The 2002 French presidential election consisted of a first round election on 21 April 2002 and a runoff election between the top two candidates ( Jacques Chirac and This led to President Chirac's appointment of Jean-Pierre Raffarin (UMP) as the new prime minister. Jean-Pierre Raffarin (born 3 August 1948 is a French conservative Politician and senator for Vienne. On May 29, 2005, French voters in the referendum on the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe turned down the proposed charter by a wide margin. Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian defeats the Sassanid army in the Battle of Ctesiphon, under the walls of the Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The French referendum on the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe was held on 29 May 2005 to decide whether France should ratify the proposed Constitution The Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe (TCE commonly referred to as the European Constitution, was an unimplemented international Treaty intended This was generally regarded as a rebuke to Chirac and his government as well as the Socialist Party leadership, all of whom — apart of Laurent Fabius — had supported the proposed constitution. Laurent Fabius (born 20 August 1946 is a former Socialist Prime Minister of France. Two days later, Raffarin resigned and Chirac appointed Dominique de Villepin, formerly Foreign Minister as Prime Minister of France. Dominique de Villepin (born Dominique Marie François René Galouzeau de Villepin (dɔminik də vilpɛ̃ &mdash) on 14 November 1953 in Rabat, Morocco The Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Government of France, is the cabinet minister responsible for the Foreign relations of France.

An enduring force is Jean-Marie Le Pen's National Front party, whose anti-immigration, isolationist policies have been described by critics as inspired by xenophobia. Jean-Marie Le Pen (born June 20, 1928, La Trinité-sur-Mer, Brittany, France) is a French far-right Nationalist Xenophobia is an intense and/or irrational dislike and sometimes fear of people from other countries Le Pen's survival into the second round of 2002's "Présidentielle" had many observers worried this time, but in the 2007 first round Le Pen finished a distant fourth. The 2007 French presidential election, the ninth of the Fifth French Republic was held to elect the successor to Jacques Chirac as president of France

The issue of libéralisme

One of the great questions of current French politics is that of libéralisme — that is, economic liberalism, as opposed to government intervention in the economy. Economic liberalism is the Economic component of Classical liberalism. Broadly speaking, supporters of libéralisme want to let the forces of the free market operate with little or no regulation. A free market is a Market in which property rights are voluntarily exchanged at a price arranged completely by the mutual consent of sellers and buyers As an example, they want little regulation of the workforce, e. g. French laws setting a 35-hour work week rather than leaving this to contract negotiations. The 35-hour working week is a measure adopted first in France, in February 2000 under Prime Minister Lionel Jospin 's Plural Left government Critics of libéralisme (realists/mercantilists) , with respect to this example, argue that individual employees are weak compared to market forces and employers, and thus that governmental intervention is necessary for their welfare; they point out that great gains in workers' rights were historically achieved by government intervention (as during the Popular Front in 1936-38). The Popular Front (French Front populaire) was an alliance of left-wing movements including the French Communist Party (PCF the Socialist Similarly, proponents of libéralisme favour free markets and the free movement of goods, which critics contend benefit the wealthy business classes at the expense of the ordinary worker. Of course, liberalists argue that the wealth gained by free trade causes a lowering of prices for all classes, not just the wealthy. French conservative parties such as, today, the UMP, or before the RPR, the UDF or the Independent Republicans of Giscard support economic liberalism. The Rally for the Republic ( French: Rassemblement pour la République, RPR) was a French Right-wing Political party The Union for French Democracy ( Union pour la Démocratie Française, UDF was a French centrist Political party. The Independent Republicans were a French conservative political group founded in 1962 which became a political party in 1966 According to historian René Rémond's famous classification of the right-wings in France, this tradition belongs to the Orleanists inheritance, while Gaullists inherited from Bonapartism and a tradition of state intervention issued from the National Council of Resistance (CNR)'s welfare state program after the war. René Rémond (born September 30, 1918 - April 14 2007) was a French historian and political economist The Orléanists were a French Right-wing / Center-right Political faction or party which arose out of the French Revolution Gaullism (Gaullisme is a French political ideology based on the thought and action of Charles de Gaulle. In French political history Bonapartism has two meanings In a strict sense this term refers to people who The Conseil National de la Résistance This article refers specifically to the Welfare state of the United Kingdom. However, neo-Gaullists have since rallied economic liberalism thesis, and even the right-wing of the Socialist Party has became social-liberal (Dominique Strauss-Kahn, etc. Social liberalism, also called new liberalism (as it was originally termed high liberalism radical liberalism, modern liberalism, or Dominique Strauss-Kahn, often referred to as DSK, (born 25 April 1949 in Neuilly-sur-Seine) is a French Economist, Lawyer, and ). Libertarianism as such is very minoritary in France, being considered as a form of "ultra-liberalism" or neo-liberalism and upheld only by right-wingers such as Alain Madelin. Libertarianism is a term used by a broad spectrum of political philosophies which prioritize individual Liberty and seek to minimize or even abolish the Ultra-liberalism is a phrase used to describe political thought on the left of the United States Democratic Party. Originally coined by its critics and opponents " neoliberalism " is a label referring to the recent reemergence of Economic liberalism or Classical liberalism Alain Madelin (born March 26, 1946) is a French Politician and a former minister of that country

Some, such as Nicolas Sarkozy on the right, favour radical change in the relationship between the government and the economy. Nicolas Sarkozy (pronounced, They argue that for the last 30 years, under both left-wing and right-wing governments, the French have been misled into believing that things could go on without real reforms. One may say that they favour a Thatcherite approach to change. Margaret Hilda Thatcher Baroness Thatcher LG, OM, PC, FRS (born 13 October 1925 Others on the right (Dominique de Villepin) as well as some on the left argue for gradual reforms. Dominique de Villepin (born Dominique Marie François René Galouzeau de Villepin (dɔminik də vilpɛ̃ &mdash) on 14 November 1953 in Rabat, Morocco In comparison, the refusal of the French electorate to vote for the proposed European Constitution was interpreted by some — in particular the French Communist Party and far-left parties such as Workers' Struggle (LO) or the Revolutionary Communist League (LCR) as a popular refusal of libéralisme, which the European Union is perceived to embody. The Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe (TCE commonly referred to as the European Constitution, was an unimplemented international Treaty intended The French Communist Party ( French: Parti communiste français or PCF) is a political party in France which advocates the principles of Workers' Struggle ( Lutte Ouvrière) is the usual name under which the Communist Union ( Union Communiste) (Trotskyist a French Trotskyist Some such as Laurent Fabius have argued that the Socialist Party should thus have a more "left-wing" line. Laurent Fabius (born 20 August 1946 is a former Socialist Prime Minister of France.

2005-2006

The February 23, 2005 law on the alleged "positive values" of colonialism was met by a public uproar in the left-wing. Events 1455 - Traditional date for the publication of the Gutenberg Bible, the first Western Book printed from Movable Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The February 23, 2005 French law on colonialism was an act passed by the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP conservative majority which imposed Voted by the UMP majority, it was charged of advocating historical revisionism, and after long debates and international opposition (from Abdelaziz Bouteflika, president of Algeria, or Aimé Césaire, founder of the Négritude anti-colonialist literary movement), was repealed by president Jacques Chirac himself, against his own majority, start of 2006. For the critical reexamination of historical facts see Historical revisionism. Abdelaziz Bouteflika (abdəlazɪz butəflika ( عبد العزيز بوتفليقة) (born March 2 1937 in Oujda, Morocco) has been the President Algeria ( ar [[Arabic]] الجزائر, Al Jaza'ir ælʤæˈzæːʔir Amazigh: ⴷⵥⴰⵢⴻⵔ Dzayer) officially the People's Aimé Fernand David Césaire (26 June 1913 &ndash 17 April 2008 was a Afro-[[Martinique Martinican]] Francophone Poet, Author and Politician

In Autumn 2005, civil unrest erupted in a number of lower classes suburbs. The 2005 civil unrest in France of October and November was a series of Riots and violent clashes involving mainly the burning The social situation in the French suburbs, known as Banlieues ' is a complex topic As a result, the government invoked a state of emergency which lasted until January 2006. A state of emergency is a governmental declaration that may suspend certain normal functions of government alert citizens to alter their normal behaviors or order government agencies Interior Minister Sarkozy's political discourse veered in favour of increased repression of young delinquents and illegal immigration. The Minister of the Interior (full title Ministre de l’Intérieur et de l’Aménagement du Territoire) in France is one of the most important governmental A delinquent is one who fails to do that which is required by Law or by Duty when such failure is minor in nature Illegal immigration refers to Immigration across National Borders in a way that violates the Immigration laws of the destination Country

In 2006, Prime minister Dominique de Villepin enacted amendments that established a "first employment contract", known as CPE, a special kind of employment contract under which workers under the age of 26 can be hired and fired liberally. Dominique de Villepin (born Dominique Marie François René Galouzeau de Villepin (dɔminik də vilpɛ̃ &mdash) on 14 November 1953 in Rabat, Morocco The contrat première embauche ( CPE) translated first employment contract, was a new form of employment contract pushed in spring 2006 in France Proponents of the measure argued that French workforce laws, which put the burden of proof on the employer for dismissing employees, dissuaded employers from hiring new employees; according to them, this is one reason while the unemployment rate of those under 26 is 23% and that of youngsters from some lower classes neighbourhoods as high as 40%. Burden of proof (onus probandi is the obligation to prove Allegations which are presented in a Legal action. Unemployment occurs when a person is available to work and currently seeking work but the person is without work. Banlieue-erevanjpg|thumb|Banlieue of Erevan; Armenia]][[Image Etalement urbain banlieue paris - 03 However, the plan backfired, with criticism both on the way the law was passed (using an exceptional legislative procedure) and on the law itself, which was criticized both for weakening workers' rights in general, and for singling out the young disfavourably instead of attempting to cure more general issues. Following from mass street protests, the government had to retract the legislation. The 2006 youth protests in France occurred throughout France during February, March, and April 2006 as a result of opposition to a measure Following from these events, Villepin lost all hopes of winning the presidency, and his government no longer tried to enact socially controversial reforms.

2007 presidential campaign

Main article: French presidential election, 2007

In 2006-2007, an intense electoral campaign took place for the presidential election. The 2007 French presidential election, the ninth of the Fifth French Republic was held to elect the successor to Jacques Chirac as president of France The 2007 French presidential election, the ninth of the Fifth French Republic was held to elect the successor to Jacques Chirac as president of France While, inside the UMP which he led, Nicolas Sarkozy was largely uncontested (other possible candidates such as Michèle Alliot-Marie having no real hopes), a bitter campaign opposed three left-wing hopefuls: Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Ségolène Royal and Laurent Fabius, each defending a different version of social-democracy. Nicolas Sarkozy (pronounced, Michèle Jeanne Honorine Alliot-Marie (born 10 September 1946) is the French Minister of the Interior and Overseas Territories she is the first woman to Dominique Strauss-Kahn, often referred to as DSK, (born 25 April 1949 in Neuilly-sur-Seine) is a French Economist, Lawyer, and Marie-Ségolène Royal (born 22 September 1953 in Dakar, Senegal, then a French colony known as, (seɡɔlɛn ʁwajal is a Laurent Fabius (born 20 August 1946 is a former Socialist Prime Minister of France. Social democracy is a Political ideology of the left and centre-left Strauss-Kahn defended social-liberal, "fiscally responsible" policies; Fabius ran on a platform opposed to economic liberalism, in line with his opposition to the European Constitution; Royal ran on a platform of reform, taking ideas from consultations with citizens through her web site. The Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe (TCE commonly referred to as the European Constitution, was an unimplemented international Treaty intended Finally, Royal was selected by the members of the Socialist Party. Royal's credibility was strongly attacked, both from the inside of her party and by the Right. The surprise came from conservative François Bayrou, inheritant of the Social Catholic tradition of the MRP and president of the Union for a French Democracy (UDF) since 1998, who harshly opposed Sarkozy's approach to politics and economics, criticizing for instance concentration of media ownership. François Bayrou (fʁɑ̃swa·bajʁu Francés Vairon in Occitan) is a French centerist Politician, president of Union for French Democracy Christian socialism generally refers to those on the Christian left whose politics are both Christian and Socialist and who see these two philosophies as The Union for French Democracy ( Union pour la Démocratie Française, UDF was a French centrist Political party. Concentration of media ownership (also known as media consolidation) is a commonly used term that refers to the majority of the media outlets being owned by a small number of Coming third at the first turn of the election, Baryou then formed the Democratic Movement (MoDem) to attempt a reorganization of the political center, while UDF deputies opposed to his attacks on Sarkozy formed the Nouveau Centre and allied themselves with the UMP. The Democratic Movement ( Mouvement démocrate, MoDem is a centrist and Pro-European French political party that was founded New Centre ( Nouveau Centre, NC also known as the European Social Liberal Party ( Parti Social Libéral Européen, PSLE is a Political party Although the UMP itself had been an attempt by Chirac to unite the conservatives in one, single party, it has not managed to integrate all members of the UDF and is generally considered as the direct successor of the RPR.

Today

Further information: Nicolas Sarkozy's presidential term

Nicolas Sarkozy was elected president. Nicolas Sarkozy, candidate of the conservative Union for a Popular Movement (UMP was elected President in May 2007, and became the sixth President of the French However, the following legislative elections did not yield the expected "blue wave" of conservatives; Sarkozy's UMP actually obtained fewer seats than in the previous Assembly. The French legislative elections took place on 10 June and 17 June 2007 to elect the 13th National Assembly of the Fifth Republic,

Unions and leaders

Workers' unions.

• Confédération Générale du Travail or CGT, nearly 2. Template talkInfobox Union for usage -->The General Confederation of Labour ( French: Confédération générale 4 million members (claimed), traditional ties with the French Communist Party
• Force Ouvrière (FO), 1 million members (est. The French Communist Party ( French: Parti communiste français or PCF) is a political party in France which advocates the principles of Template talkInfobox Union for usage --> The General Confederation of Labor - Workers' Force ( French: )
• Confédération Générale des Cadres (white-collar and executive workers), 340,000 members (claimed)
• Confédération Française Démocratique du Travail or CFDT, about 800,000 members (est. Template talkInfobox Union for usage -->The Confédération Française de l'Encadrement - Confédération Générale des Cadres White-collar worker refers to a salaried professional or an educated Worker who performs semi-professional office administrative and sales coordination tasks as opposed to Corporate titles are titles conferred on individuals as a means of identifying their function in the Organization. Template talkInfobox Union for usage -->The Confédération Française Démocratique du Travail ( CFDT or "French ), considered to be close to the reformist options of the French Socialist Party. The Socialist Party ( Parti Socialiste, PS is the largest left-wing political party in France.
• Confédération Française des Travailleurs Chrétiens or CFTC
• Solidaires Unitaires Démocratiques, the "Group of 10", a group of radical trade unions;

Employers' unions. Template talkInfobox Union for usage --> The Confédération Française des Travailleurs Chrétiens ( CFTC The Group of 10 ( G10 - Solidaires) is a French group of Trade unions most of which have a name based on Solidaires Unitaires Démocratiques or

• Union of French Corporations (Mouvement des Entreprises de France or MEDEF, formerly known as CNPF), sometimes referred to as patronat

Students' unions. The Mouvement des Entreprises de France or MEDEF (in English "Movement of the French Enterprises" is the largest Union of employers

• Union nationale des étudiants de france (UNEF, left-wing)
• Union Nationale Inter-universitaire (UNI, right-wing)
• Groupe Union Défense (GUD, far-right)

Farmers' and peasants' unions. The National Union of Students of France ( Union Nationale des Étudiants de France or UNEF) is the main national students' union in France. Union Nationale Interuniversitaire ( UNI) or "Inter-University Union" is a French Right-wing union of University students created in Groupe Union Droit or Groupe Union Défense or Groupe Unité Défense, better known as GUD, is the name of a succession of violent French

• Fédération Nationale des Syndicats d'Exploitants Agricoles (FNSEA)
• Centre National des Jeunes Agriculteurs (CNJA)
• Confédération Paysanne

See also

• Balladur jurisprudence
• Sinistrisme
• History of the French far right
• History of the Left in France
• History of anarchism in France
• Liberalism and Radicalism in France

External links

• Frenchculturenow.com: French political news
• Politique.com, portal on French politics (French)
• France Politique portal on French politics (French)
• France Politique Expression and debates about French politics (French)