The French Parliament (French French is a Romance language spoken as a first language by about 136 million people worldwide. Around 190 million people speak French as a second language, and an additional 200 million speak it as an acquired foreign language. French speaking communities are present in 57 countries and territories. Most native speakers of the language live in: Parlement français) or Parliament of France is the deliberative and legislative branch A legislature is a type of deliberative assembly with the power to pass, amend, and repeal laws. The law created by a legislature is called legislation or statutory law. Legislatures are known by many names, the most common being parliament and congress, although these terms also have more specific meanings. In parliamentary systems of government, (parliament A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French parlement, the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which such a discussion took place. It acquired) of the Government of France The government of the French Republic is a semi-presidential system determined by the French Constitution of the fifth Republic. The nation declares itself to be an "indivisible, secular, democratic, and social Republic". The constitution provides for a separation of powers and proclaims France's "attachment to the Rights of Man and. The current parliamentary system in France is bicameral In government, bicameralism is the practice of having two legislative or parliamentary chambers. Thus, a bicameral parliament or bicameral legislature is a legislature which consists of two chambers or houses. Bicameralism is an essential and defining feature of the classical notion of mixed government. Bicameral legislatures tend to require a, and the Parliament is composed of:
- The upper house An upper house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house. An upper house is typically a senate (chambre haute), which is the French Senate The Senate is the upper house of the Parliament of France, presided over by a president (Sénat)
- The lower house A lower house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house (chambre basse), which is the French National Assembly The French National Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of France under the Fifth Republic. The other is the Senate (“Sénat”) (Assemblée nationale); the Assembly is the pre-eminent body.
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Organization and powers
Each house conducts legislative sessions at a separate location:
- The Palais du Luxembourg The Palais du Luxembourg in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, north of the Jardin du Luxembourg, is the seat of the French Senate for the Senate
- The Palais Bourbon for the National Assembly
Each house has its own regulations and rules of procedure.
However, they may occasionally meet as a single house, the French Congress (Congrès du Parlement français), convened at the Château de Versailles, to revise and amend the Constitution of France The current Constitution of France was adopted on October 4, 1958. It is typically called the Constitution of the Fifth Republic, and replaced that of the Fourth Republic dating from 1946. Charles de Gaulle was the main driving force in introducing the new constitution and inaugurating the Fifth Republic, while the text was drafted by Michel Debré.
Parliament meets for one 9-month session each year: under special circumstances the president can call an additional session. Although parliamentary powers have diminished from those existing under the Fifth Republic The Fifth Republic is the fifth and current republican constitution of France, which was introduced on 4 October 1958. The Fifth Republic emerged from the collapse of the French Fourth Republic, replacing a parliamentary government with a semi-presidential system. It is France's third longest enduring regime, after the Ancien Régime and the Third, the National Assembly can still cause a government to fall if an absolute majority An absolute majority or majority of the entire membership is a voting basis which usually requires that more than half of all the members of a group must vote in favour of a proposition in order for it to be passed. In practical terms, it may mean that abstention from voting could be equivalent to a no vote of the total Assembly membership votes a censorship motion. As a result, the Administration (Prime Minister The Prime Minister of France in the Fifth Republic is the head of government and of the Council of Ministers of France. The head of state is the President of the French Republic. During the Second, Third and Fourth Republics, the Head of Government was called President of the Council of Ministers (Président du Conseil des Ministres), generally and ministers) must be from the same political party as the Assembly and should be supported by a majority there. Periods during which the President of France The President of the French Republic colloquially referred to in English as the President of France, is France's elected Head of State is not from the same political party as the Prime Minister are known as cohabitation Cohabitation in government occurs in semi-presidential systems, such as France's system, when the President is from a different political party than the majority of the members of parliament. It occurs because such a system forces the president to name a premier that will be acceptable to the majority party within parliament. Thus, cohabitation.
The cabinet has a strong influence in shaping the agenda of Parliament. The government also can link its term to a legislative text which it proposes, and unless a motion of censure is introduced (within 24 hours after the proposal) and passed (within 48 hours of introduction - thus full procedures last at most 72 hours), the text is considered adopted without a vote.
Members of Parliament enjoy parliamentary immunity. Both assemblies have committees that write reports on a variety of topics. If necessary, they can establish parliamentary enquiry commissions with broad investigative power.
History
The French Parliament, as a legislative body, should not confused with the various parlements of the Ancien Régime in France, which were courts of justice and tribunals with certain political functions.
The Parliament, in the modern meaning of the term, appeared in France during the French Revolution. Its form – unicameral, bicameral, or multicameral – and its functions have taken different forms throughout the different political regimes and according to the various French constitutions:
References
- This article is based on the article Parlement français from the French Wikipedia, retrieved on October 13, 2006.
Further reading
- Frank R. Baumgartnerm Parliament's Capacity to Expand Political Controversy in France, Legislative Studies Quarterly, Vol. 12, No. 1 (Feb., 1987), pp. 33-54
See also
- Constitution of France
- Government of France
- Politics of France
- History of France
- Comité d'histoire parlementaire et politique (in French)
External links
- Official site of the Parlement français (in French)
- Site of the CHPP (Comité d'histoire parlementaire et politique) and of Parlement(s), Revue d'histoire politique (in French)
Categories: French law | Government of France | Parliaments by country | Politics of France
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