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In-Depth Information
the euro. France's governments have been decidedly pro-EU. But many French are Euro-
skeptics, afraid that EU meddling threatens their job security and social benefits.
The French political scene is complex and fascinating. France is governed by a pres-
ident (currently François Hollande), elected by popular vote every five years. The presid-
entthenselectstheprimeminister,whointurnchoosesthecabinetministers.Collectively,
this executive branch is known as the
gouvernement
. The parliament consists of a Senate
(343 seats) and the 577-seat Assemblée Nationale.
In France, compromise and coalition-building are essential to keeping power. Unlike
America's two-party system, France has a half-dozen major political parties, plus more on
the fringes. A simple majority is rare. Even the biggest parties rarely get more than a third
of the votes. Since the parliament can force the
gouvernement
to resign at any time, it's
essential that the
gouvernement
work with them.
For a snapshot of the current political landscape, look no further than the 2012 pres-
idential elections. The various parties all chose a candidate. Incumbent president Nicolas
Sarkozyheadedthecenter-rightPopularMovementUnion(UMP).Hedefendedhistough-
love, carrot-and-stick approach to dealing with the sluggish economy. During his tenure,
hecuttaxes,reducedthesizeofgovernment,limitedthepowerofunions,cutworkers'be-
nefits, and (most controversially) raised the retirement age from 60 to 62. He also offered
tax incentives to those who worked overtime (meaning above the current 35- to 39-hour
workweek).
Top French Notables in History
Madame and Monsieur Cro-Magnon:
Prehistoric hunter-gatherers who moved
to France (c. 30,000
B.C.
), painted cave walls at Lascaux and Font-de-Gaume, and
eventually settled down as farmers (c. 10,000
B.C.
).
