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Political
Status
France is a pluralistic democracy
with a semi-presidential regime.
The present constitution was drawn up under the 5th
Republic (9th January 1959).
The President of the Republic is elected for a
seven year term of office by general election.
The present President is Mr Jacques Chirac. The
presidential seat is at the Elysée
Palace.
He is seconded by the Prime Minister, who is
responsible towards the National Assembly.
The present Prime Minister is Mr Dominique De
Villepin .
The Prime Minister's office is in the Hotel
Matignon.
The National Assembly is made up of 577 members,
elected by general election.
The house of the National Assembly is in the Palais
Bourbon.
There are 317 members in the Senate who are elected
by indirect universal franchise.
The Senate, which is renewed a third at a time,
every three years, sits in the Palais du
Luxembourg.
France is a member of the European Union.
Historical
outline :
1958 : General
Charles de Gaulle came to power.
08.01.1959 : General Charles de Gaulle is elected
President.
28.10.1962 : Approval, by referendum, of voting by
direct general election for the presidency.
28.04.1969 : Mr Georges Pompidou is elected
President.
27.05.1974 : Mr Valéry Giscard
d’Estaing is elected President.
27.05.1981 : Mr François Mitterand, a
socialist, is elected President.
16.03.1986 : Mr Jacques Chirac is elected Prime
Minister
8.05. 1988 : Mr François Mitterand is
re-elected for a second term of office.
17.05.1995 : Mr Jacques Chirac is elected
President.
8.01.1996 : Death of ex-President François
Mitterand.
4.06.1997 : Election of Mr Lionel Jospin as Prime
Minister
2002 -2007 : Mr Jacques Chirac is elected
President
Mr De villepin as Prime Minister
France
Overseas
1534 Jacques Cartier's expedition to Canada.
1510-71 Expeditions to Brazil, led by Nicolas de
Villegaignon
17th century :
Founding of a French colony in Acadia (Nova Scotia
in Canada)
1642 Founding of Montreal.
The French East Indian Company founds Fort Dauphin
in Madagascar
1659 Foundation of St Louis in
Sénégal.
In
1939
French territories
represent 12,300,000 square kilometers and 103
million inhabitants.
In North
Africa : one French
territory Algeria and two protectorates, Morocco
and Tunisia
In
equatorial Africa : Gabon,
Middle Congo, Oubangui Chari, Tchad and a mandate
territory the Cameroons.
Islands
: Madagascar, the Comoro
Islands, Reunion, the southern isles of the Indian
Ocean
In America
: French West Indies :
Martinique, Guadeloupe, and the dependencies of
Guyana, St-Pierre and Miquelon, North America,
Clipperton which is 1300 kms from Mexico.
In the
Antarctic : Terre
Adélie.
In Asia
: two mandated countries,
Lebanon and Syria
Ex-Orient
: one colony Cochinchina, 4
protectorates Tonkin, Annam, Cambodia, Annam
Empire
In Oceania
: New Caledonia, several
settlements.
In 2005,
French dependencies are :
America :
St Pierre and Miquelon,
Guadeloupe, Martinique, Guyana and the north of the
island of Saint Martin and Saint Barthelemy.
In
Antarctica : Terre
Adélie.
In the
Indian Ocean : Glorieuses,
Reunion, the Crozet islands, Kerguelen, Tromelin
Island, the Saint Paul islands and New Amsterdam,
Mayotte.
In the
Pacific : the islands of
Wallis and Futuna, the Marquises islands, Tahiti,
Moorea, the islands du Vent,
the
Tuamotu islands, the
Australes or Tubuaï, the Gambie islands, New
Caledonia, Clipperton Island and the Islands Sous
le Vent
The DOM TOM
(the territories overseas) have their own Ministry.
They are Martinique, Guyana,
Guadeloupe and Reunion. They are managed by France
but regulations can be adapted to fit local
conditions.
Regional councils are elected by general election.
There are also consultative committees.
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