Political life

Direct suffrage Suffrage is direct when the voters directly elect their representatives: President of the Republic, regional councillors, members of Parliament, departmental and town councillors. Indirect suffrage Suffrage is indirect when elected representatives become electors. A mayor is elected by the local council; a senator is elected by an electoral college composed of members of Parliament and of regional, departmental and town councillors.

• French elections     

Presidential elections Every five yearsUniversal direct suffrageElection of the President of the French RepublicMajority voting for a single member in two roundsEligibility age: 23 years

Senatorial elections

The Senate is renewed by half every three years

Universal indirect suffrage

Majority voting for a single member in two rounds (in departments where there are 3 or less senators to elect)

Ballot with proportional representation (in departments where there are more than 3 senators to elect)

Eligibility age: 30 years General elections

Every five years Universal direct suffrage

Election of members of Parliament 

Majority voting for a single member in two rounds

Eligibility age: 23 years

Regional elections Every six yearsUniversal direct suffrageList system with a mixed method Eligibility age: 18 yearsVoters elect regional councillors, who sit on the regional council

Departmental elections The departmental councils are renewed by half every three yearsUniversal direct suffrage.Majority voting for a single memberEligibility age: 18 yearsVoters elect departmental councillors, who sit on the departmental council Municipal elections

Every six years

Universal direct suffrage

List system, with a mixed method for cities with more than 3,500 inhabitants

Eligibility age: 18 years Voters elect town councillors, who themselves elect a "Maire" (Mayor) European elections

Every five years

Election of members of the European Parliament from 8 inter-regional districts.

Universal direct suffrage

List system with proportional representation.

Eligibility age: 23 years

• Electors and voting

In France, voting is a right but not an obligation. To vote, you need to fulfil certain conditions and the voting goes following strict rules. Conditions that need to be fulfilled in order to vote: Be 18 years old. Have the French nationality. Enjoy civil and political rights.

Be registered on the electoral list.

European nationals who reside in France have the right to vote and are eligible for municipal and european elections. Elector's card

Registered electors receive en elector’s card which is periodically renewed. It is possible to vote without presenting your elector’s card, if you can present an official ID paper and have your name on the electoral registers. Proxy voting  

This kind of voting allows an elector to be represented in the polling station on the polling day by another elector of his choice. Are allowed to vote by proxy:- electors away from the municipality due to their professional activities

- electors who can not move on the polling day: disabled persons up to 85%, sick people...

- electors whose place of residence and job are in another department of where the inscription municipality one is. - electors who have left their usual place of residence for a holiday.

• Political parties

French politics are animated by many political parties. Only some of them have audience and are represented in the Parliament. Each party expresses different trends. Main left-wing parties:          * The Socialist party (PS) (www.parti-socialiste.fr)          * The French communist party (PCF) ( www.pcf.fr )          * The Green( http://lesverts.fr )          * The Radical left party (PRG) ( www.planeteradicale.org )          * The Republican and citizen movement (MRC) ( www.mrc-france.org ) Extreme-left parties:           * Labour struggle (LO) ( www.lutte-ouvriere.org )          * Revolutionary communist league (LCR) ( www.lcr-rouge.org )          * Labour party (PT) ( www.parti-des-travailleurs.org ) Main right-wing parties:           * Mass movement union (UMP) ( www.u-m-p.org )

         * French democratic union (UDF) ( www.udf.org )  

         * Movement for France (MPF) ( www.mpf-villiers.org ) Extreme-right parties:           * National front (FN) (www.frontnational.com)          * Republican national movement (MNR) ( www.m-n-r.net ) Men-women parity The law of June the 6^th 2000 favours equal access of men and women to electoral mandates and to elective functions. This law applies to municipal elections for cities with more than 3,500 inhabitants, regional elections, senatorial elections, general elections and European elections.

• The political liberty

Everyone is free to become a member of a political party or not.

Everyone is free to vote for the candidate he/she wants, whatever his/her political adherence.  

The political liberty is recognised in the 1958 Constitution. It acknowledges that “political parties and organizations contribute to the vote expressions. They have to respect the principles of national sovereignty and democracy”.

• Trade unions

A trade union is a voluntary association of salaried workers employed in a particular type of work. They act to protect and promote their common interests against the employers and the State representatives.   Freedom of unions

Everyone is free to adhere to a union or not.

In order to adhere, it is sufficient to be on the firm's payroll, to be more than 16, without sex or nationality distinction. Members have to pay a subscription, which gives them a right to a tax deduction. Members of trade unions can freely withdraw.

The union right in the companies

This right is acknowledged in every company.

A union, recognized at a national level, can create a union section, in any company of more than 50 employees. The union section has the right of posting. It can distribute handouts during entry and exit hours. Beyond 200 employees, a local is put on disposal for the union section. The union representative represents the section next to the company director. He/She has to be at least 18 years old and must have been working in the company for at least a year (4 months if the company is new). He/She can be laid off only after a positive opinion from Work inspectors. He/She have a certain number of hours to exercise his/her functions (i.e. at least 10 hours per month if the company has 50 to 150 employees).

French trade unions

Starting from the union section which is the base unit, there are several types of organisations: a union (association of several trade unions of different occupations at a local or departmental level), a federation (gathers trade unions of same occupation at a national level), a confederation (gathers unions and federations at a national level). Main French Trade Unions:          * French democratic work confederation (CFDT): www.cfdt.fr

         *General work confederation (CGT): www.cgt.fr

         *General management confederation (CFE-CGC): www.cfecgc.org

         *Labour force (FO): www.force-ouvriere.fr

         *French Christian worker’s confederation (CFTC): www.cftc.fr

Sources: " French institutions of the 5th Republic ", by Bernard de Gunten, Arlette Martin and Mauricette Niogret ; Wikipedia ( http://fr.wikipedia.org/ )