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58-540: Following the 2008 municipal elections , The Greens sought to increase their political influence. Echoing these calls, Daniel Cohn-Bendit proposed the creation of open electoral lists for the 2009 European elections and the Greens' leadership allowed for the exploration of this possibility. Europe Ecology (EE), launched in the autumn of 2008, allowed The Greens to create a wider electoral alliance with environmentalists and social activists who had not been party members in

116-516: A prime minister as head of government . Charles de Gaulle , who was the first French president elected under the Fifth Republic in December 1958, believed in a strong head of state, which he described as embodying l'esprit de la nation ("the spirit of the nation"). Under the fifth republic, the president has the right to dissolve the national assembly and hold new parliamentary elections. If

174-483: A chance to win, but Gaudin was re-elected narrowly. The right was divided in this generally right-wing city, with incumbent mayor Jacques Peyrat staging a dissident candidacy against UMP candidate Christian Estrosi . Estrosi won 38% to Peyrat's 23%. However, the PS candidate Patrick Allemand, with his 22%, also qualified for a three-way runoff. In this Socialist city, longtime mayor Edmond Hervé (since 1977) did not lead

232-564: A few from the French Caribbean departments or sub-Saharan Africa, most against incumbent mayors from the opposite party, thus with lower chances to succeed. There were only seven incumbent mayors in Metropolitan France with non-European roots, all in rural communes with less than 5,000 inhabitants where the percentage of foreign stock population is close to nil: The six who were again candidates in their commune were reelected in

290-520: A majority. Cohabitation is still possible if the president dissolves parliament in the middle of a presidential term. The Fifth Republic is France's third-longest-lasting political regime, after the hereditary , feudal monarchy of the Ancien Régime and the parliamentary Third Republic ( 4 September 1870 – 10 July 1940 ). It is expected that the Fifth Republic will overtake the Third Republic as

348-564: A message of warning to President Nicolas Sarkozy , in power since 2007. The PS gained cities like Toulouse , Strasbourg , Amiens , Saint-Étienne and Reims . The left also held on easily to most of its cities, including Paris and Lyon . The close election in Marseille , however, was won by the UMP incumbent. The right did poorly but held on to some of its cities like Bordeaux , Le Havre , Nice, Toulon or Aix-en-Provence . Among right-wing gains were

406-657: A narrow loss of 200 votes, respectively against and with the Socialist Party . The Rouen and Villeurbanne 's lists join those of the Socialist Party, both elected, like that of Marseille . In October 2022, The New Democrats merged into EELV. In October 2023, EELV changed its name to The Ecologists. As a green party, EELV prioritises and emphasises environmental issues. It calls for a 40% reduction in CO 2 emissions , phasing out nuclear energy in favour of renewable energy ,

464-502: A section of the French Army rebelled and openly backed the Algérie française movement to defeat separation. Charles de Gaulle , who had retired from politics a decade before, placed himself in the midst of the crisis, calling on the nation to suspend the government and create a new constitutional system. The parliament was unable to choose a government amid popular protest, and De Gaulle

522-515: Is France 's current republican system of government . It was established on 4 October 1958 by Charles de Gaulle under the Constitution of the Fifth Republic . The Fifth Republic emerged from the collapse of the Fourth Republic , replacing the former parliamentary republic with a semi-presidential (or dual-executive) system that split powers between a president as head of state and

580-471: Is close to some anticapitalist and many alter-globalisation activists. In its alternative budget in 2011, EELV proposed to reduce the public debt by closing fiscal loopholes. The party has traditionally supported European federalism , although many of its European policies are in conflict with the current direction and leadership of the European Union . EELV, like the Greens before it, has been one of

638-568: Is formed by the Executive Bureau. The national secretary is the leader of the executive bureau and is the party's most senior leader. The federal council is composed of 150 members (75 men and 75 women) and serves as the party's parliament, meeting on a monthly basis. 2008 French municipal elections The French municipal elections of 2008 were held on 9 and 16 March to elect the municipal councils of France's 36,782 communes . The first task of each newly constituted municipal council

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696-699: The cumul des mandats , term limits and a ' Sixth Republic ' with a more powers for the parliament and direct democracy . The greens have long promoted gender equality in politics, its leadership and electoral candidates tend to respect gender parity and the EELV group in the French National Assembly has two co-presidents, one male and one female. EELV claims 34 departmental councillors , 65 regional councillors and 50 mayors . Cities with an EELV mayor include Marseille , Lyon , Bordeaux , Tours , Grenoble , Strasbourg and Poitiers . The party executive

754-522: The 2011 senatorial elections , an agreement with the PS allowed for the first left senatorial majority under the Fifth Republic and the creation of the first entirely green parliamentary group. On 15 November 2011, EELV and the PS signed a coalition agreement prior to the 2012 presidential election. The agreement included a commitment to reduce the share of nuclear energy in France from 75% to 50% by 2025,

812-477: The 1970s regarding constitutional checks and balances . Traditionally, France operated according to parliamentary supremacy : no authority was empowered to rule on whether statutes passed by Parliament respected the constitutional rights of the citizens. In 1971, however, the Constitutional Council , arguing that the preamble of the constitution referenced the rights defined in the 1789 Declaration of

870-467: The EELV statutes. In the 2011 cantonal elections , EELV won 8.2% of the vote nationally – becoming the third largest force on the left behind the PS and Left Front (FG). Although the traditional runoff deals were sealed with both of these parties, some EELV candidates qualified for the runoff against other left-wing candidates did not withdraw, creating tensions with EELV's traditional left-wing allies. Ultimately, EELV won 27 seats, 16 more seats than what

928-526: The French Union with the French Community , which allowed fourteen member territories (excluding Algeria) to assert their independence. 1960 became known as the " Year of Africa " because of this wave of newly independent states. Algeria became independent on 5 July 1962. The president was initially elected by an electoral college but in 1962 de Gaulle proposed that the president be directly elected by

986-472: The Greens had won in the same series of cantons in 2004. A presidential primary to nominate a candidate for the 2012 presidential election , open to members and cooperators, was held in June and July 2011. Four candidates sought the EELV nomination, most notably Eva Joly , an MEP and Nicolas Hulot , a well known TV personality and environmentalist. Joly emerged victorious in the runoff on 12 July with 58.16%. In

1044-401: The PS and the incumbent government officially support the project. On economic issues, EELV leans strongly to the left. Besides the creation of 'green jobs' in fields such as thermal isolation and renewable energies, it also supports a carbon tax and raising the progressive income tax levels for high earners (60% for incomes between €100,000 and €500,000, 70% for incomes over €500,000). EELV

1102-522: The PS list in this election, he was replaced by Saint-Jacques-de-la-Lande mayor Daniel Delaveau, who was easily elected. The MoDem candidate, with her 10%, also won a place in the runoff. Jean-Luc Moudenc of the UMP faced a very tough race against the left, which swept the city in the Presidential and Legislative elections held in 2007. Contrary to polls, Moudenc came out on top of the first round with 42% to

1160-652: The PS's 39%. Following the first round, he merged his lists with the MoDem. However, he lost to Pierre Cohen , the PS candidate. Socialist incumbent Martine Aubry ran for re-election, with 6 candidates opposing her. The Greens, although they qualified for the runoff, preferred to merge with Aubry's PS lists, as did the MoDem, which chose to merge with the Left list in Lille, and for the Right one in other cities. The capital of Alsace , Strasbourg

1218-696: The Rights of Man and of the Citizen and the preamble of the 1946 constitution, concluded that statutes must respect these rights and so declared partially unconstitutional a statute because it violated freedom of association . Only the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister, or the president of either house of Parliament could ask for a constitutional review before a statute was signed into law—which greatly reduces

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1276-401: The beginning of the Fifth Republic, presidential elections were held every seventh year and parliamentary elections every fifth year, which meant the president and the majority elected in the national assembly could be from different parties. Starting in the year 2000, the presidential and parliamentary elections were synchronized and are held every fifth year, which means the president always has

1334-520: The cities of Chaumont , Le-Puy-en-Velay , and Calais (ending 37 years of Communist control). François Bayrou 's centrist MoDem did poorly, although MoDem incumbents generally won. However, Bayrou himself was defeated (by the PS) in his hometown of Pau . Between the two rounds the MoDem followed three strategies- maintain its list in the runoffs, if qualified; ally with the right (as in Toulouse ); or ally with

1392-540: The citizens and held a referendum on the change. Although the method and intent of de Gaulle in that referendum were contested by most political groups except for the Gaullists , the change was approved by the French electorate. The Constitutional Council declined to rule on the constitutionality of the referendum. The president is now elected every five years, changed from seven by a constitutional referendum in 2000 , to reduce

1450-418: The city. Surprisingly, the two highly presumed candidates for the centrist MoDem and the far-right National Front , Azouz Begag and Bruno Gollnisch respectively both announced their intentions not to stand. In February, after a fight with MoDem leader François Bayrou , the MoDem list leader integrated the UMP list, but Bayrou found another list leader. The MoDem list was also shaken after one of its list

1508-579: The collapse of the French Fourth Republic was the Algiers crisis of 1958 . France was still a colonial power, although conflict and revolt had begun the process of decolonization . French West Africa , French Indochina , and French Algeria still sent representatives to the French parliament under systems of limited suffrage in the French Union . Algeria in particular, despite being the colony with

1566-560: The creation of 600,000 'green jobs', eco-friendly urban planning (the creation of green housing and the promotion of public transportation ), the development of sustainable agriculture and a moratorium on the use of genetically modified organisms . EELV, like the Greens before it, has generally opposed large-scale development projects, most recently the Aéroport du Grand Ouest in Notre-Dame-des-Landes ( Loire-Atlantique ), although

1624-475: The election of a black mayor Only one candidat de la diversité heading a list in a town of more than 10,000 inhabitants was elected in the first round: Eddie Aït, already a regional councillor and departmental leader for the Left Radical Party (centre-left) beat the incumbent UMP mayor of Carrières-sous-Poissy ( Yvelines , 13,472 inhabitants) with 62.4% of the votes and was elected as mayor. Another

1682-407: The endorsement of the PS, although many faced local PS dissidents. In the government of Jean-Marc Ayrault formed on 16 May 2012, EELV has two cabinet ministers: former party leader Cécile Duflot as minister of housing and territorial equality , and former MEP Pascal Canfin as junior minister for international development. In the 2014 European elections on 25 May 2014, EELV received 8.95% of

1740-487: The evening of the first round, around twenty environmentalist lists won the elections in the first round (including outgoing mayors such as in Schiltigheim ), and EELV came out on top in several large cities ( Besançon , Lyon , Strasbourg or Grenoble ), or second but favorite in others ( Bordeaux , Poitiers ). The scores are however disappointing in several big cities like Paris , Nîmes , Montpellier or Marseille . In

1798-613: The first round with results varying from 60% to 88% of the votes, and Auguste Senghor, candidate in another commune far away from the previous one, was the only candidate elected there in the first round with 52% of the votes. Two more small municipal councils elected mayors with non-European roots: Volvic ( Puy-de-Dôme , 4,202 inhabitants) elected the Harki activist Mohand Hamoumou (miscellaneous right) and Morey ( Saône-et-Loire , 184 inhabitants), Kader Atteye, whose parents came from Djibouti , but 5 councillors out of 11 resigned in protest over

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1856-466: The largest French population, saw rising pressure for separation from Metropolitan France . The situation was complicated by those in Algeria, such as European settlers , native Jews , and Harkis (native Muslims who were loyal to France), who wanted to maintain the union with France. The Algerian War was not just a separatist movement but had elements of a civil war . Further complications came when

1914-508: The latter, however, the EELV's list (8% in the first round) merges with the union list of the left which came in first (23%), moreover led by an environmental candidate from but suspended from the party, Michèle Rubirola . The second round confirms these good scores since the party wins the municipalities of Lyon , Strasbourg and Bordeaux , the latter not having known alternation since 1945, but also Besançon , Tours , Poitiers and Grenoble . The candidates of Lille and Metz both suffer

1972-844: The left (as in Marseille ). The far-right FN did extremely poorly, winning only 0.93% nationwide and qualifying for the runoff in only 7 cities with 30,000+ population (40 in 2001, 105 in 1995). The Greens regained grounds lost in 2007, the most notable Green gain was by Dominique Voynet in Montreuil . However, the Green vote was halved in Paris over 2001. The PCF held most of its ground in its Seine-Saint-Denis strongholds (despite most incumbents facing Socialist candidates) but also in other PCF cities ( Nanterre , Arles ). It gained Dieppe and Vierzon while losing Calais (to UMP) and Aubervilliers (to PS). The popular Socialist incumbent Bertrand Delanoë

2030-745: The likelihood of such a review if all these officeholders happened to be from the same side of politics, which was the case at the time. Then in 1974, a constitutional amendment widened this prerogative to 60 members of the National Assembly or 60 members of the senate . From that date, the opposition has been able to have controversial new statutes examined for constitutionality.    Socialist ( PS )    Centrist ( CD )    Centrist ( REM )    Republican ( UDF )     Gaullist ( UDR ; RPR )    Neo-Gaullist ( UMP ) Source: "Les présidents de la République depuis 1848" [Presidents of

2088-416: The new left-wing government. In the 2012 presidential election , EELV candidate Eva Joly won 2.3% of the vote and was eliminated in the first round. In the 2012 legislative elections , EELV candidates won 5.46% nationally and elected a record 17 deputies (in addition to one member of the regionalist Breton Democratic Union , backed by EELV). However, every EELV deputy who was victorious had benefited from

2146-415: The new president was proclaimed. On 21 December 1958, Charles de Gaulle was elected president of France by an electoral college . The provisional constitutional commission, acting in lieu of the constitutional council , proclaimed the results of the election on 9 January 1959. The new president began his office on that date, appointing Michel Debré as prime minister. The 1958 constitution also replaced

2204-449: The party as full paying members but who are nonetheless allowed to run as candidates, vote in presidential primaries and partake in debates over the platform. The official launch of the new party, presented as a new political force, was held in Lyon on 9 November 2010. The new party adopted the name Europe Ecology – The Greens ( Europe Écologie Les Verts , EELV). However, the launch of the party

2262-537: The past. The new structure included, alongside longtime Green politicians, new activists or environmentalists such as Jean-Paul Besset (close to Nicolas Hulot ), José Bové ( alter-globalisation activist from the Confédération paysanne ), Yannick Jadot (former head of Greenpeace France), Eva Joly (magistrate) and Michèle Rivasi (founder of CRIIRAD ). EE was successful in the 2009 European elections on 7 June 2009, reaching third place in France with 16.3% of

2320-415: The president has a majority in the national assembly, the president sets domestic policy and the prime minister puts it into practice. During a presidential mandate, the president can also change prime ministers and reshuffle the government. If there is a different majority in the national assembly, the president is forced to nominate a prime minister from a different party, which is called a cohabitation . In

2378-433: The probability of cohabitation due to former differences in the length of terms for the National Assembly and presidency. The president is elected in one or two rounds of voting : if one candidate gets a majority of votes in the first round that person is president-elect; if no one gets a majority in the first round, the two candidates with the greatest number of votes go to a second round. Two major changes occurred in

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2436-457: The progressive shutdown of 24 nuclear reactors, the creation of a carbon tax and raising taxes on very high incomes. The agreement also included an ad hoc electoral deal for the 2012 legislative elections in which the PS conceded over 60 constituencies to EELV, which would allow EELV to form a parliamentary group. On 8 May 2012, following the left's victory with François Hollande , EELV's federal council voted in favour of cabinet participation in

2494-462: The referendum of 28 September 1958 . The new constitution was signed into law on 4 October 1958. Since each new constitution established a new republic, France moved from the Fourth to the Fifth Republic. The new constitution contained transitional clauses (articles 90–92) extending the period of rule by decree until the new institutions were operating. René Coty remained president of the Republic until

2552-435: The second-longest French regime and the longest-lasting French republic on 8 August 2028. The Fourth Republic had suffered from a lack of political consensus, a weak executive, and governments forming and falling in quick succession since 1946. With no party or coalition able to sustain a parliamentary majority, prime ministers found themselves unable to risk their political position with unpopular reforms. The trigger for

2610-718: The strongest proponents of decentralisation , officially supporting "differentiated federalism" which would devolve significant powers to the regions of France . The regionalist federation Régions et Peuples Solidaires has long been closely allied to the green movement in France. François Alfonsi of the Party of the Corsican Nation (PNC) was elected to the European Parliament on an EE list in 2009. The green movement supports political reform, including voting rights for foreigners in both local and national elections, abolishing

2668-412: The vote nationally (third place). The Greens and those new activists who joined the movement by way of EE – but who did not wish to join the party – began talks to allow for the creation of a new, enlarged political movement . In October and November 2010, EE and later The Greens ratified new statutes and a new manifesto. Notably, these new statutes allowed for "cooperators" - individuals who did not join

2726-643: The vote, only a few thousand votes behind the Socialist Party (PS), winning 14 of France's 72 seats in the European Parliament. The experience led to further attempts to expand the French green movement, ahead of the 2010 regional elections . Europe Ecology ran independent lists in the first round in every region, once again with the participation of new activists including Philippe Meirieu , Laurence Vichnievsky or Augustin Legrand . While they fell short of their 2009 success, EE nevertheless managed to win 12.5% of

2784-544: The vote, sixth place nationally, returning 6 MEPs. In the 2019 European elections , EELV performed significantly above expectations, winning 13.5% of the vote and 13 out of 79 MEPs, placing third behind LREM and RN . This came despite EELV having not polled above 10% during the campaign. Following the success of the 2019 European elections , the polls for the municipal elections predict good results for EELV. Thus, cities like Rouen , Villeurbanne , Strasbourg , Besançon or Lille are considered as being able to be won. On

2842-644: Was Aquitaine President Alain Rousset . The centrist MoDem , led by François Bayrou , announced its support for Juppé. Juppé was re-elected by the first round with over 56% of votes cast, even improving over 2001. In 2001 , the Socialist Gérard Collomb won the country's second largest city from the UDF . Lyon had been considered a stronghold for the centrist UDF in previous years. In 2008, former UMP Transportation Minister Dominique Perben tried to win back

2900-413: Was appointed head of the government ; on 3 June 1958, a constitutional law empowered the new government to draft a new constitution of France , and another law granted Charles de Gaulle and his cabinet the power to rule by decree for up to six months, except on certain matters related to the basic rights of citizens (criminal law, etc. ). These plans were approved by more than 80% of those who voted in

2958-501: Was carried to power when the last parliament of the Fourth Republic voted for its own dissolution and the convening of a constitutional convention. De Gaulle and his supporters proposed a system of strong presidents elected for seven-year terms. The president, under the proposed constitution, would have executive powers to run the country in consultation with a prime minister whom he would appoint. On 1 June 1958, Charles de Gaulle

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3016-645: Was elected mayor after the second round, Philippe N'Guyen Tahnn ( PS ) in Vernon ( Eure , 23,700 inhabitants) The left-wing list headed by Samia Ghali ( PS vice-president of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regional council) won in the first round in the VIIIth secteur (borough) of Marseilles (92,100 inhabitants) with 52.30%. Had the left won in Marseilles, she had been promised the first adjunct-mayorship, finally she

3074-557: Was elected mayor of this secteur , succeeding the incumbent Communist mayor. The UMP list headed by Justice minister Rachida Dati got 49.50% in the first round in the 7th arrondissement of Paris (55,700 inhabitants). She was elected maire d'arrondissement after the second round. French Fifth Republic – in Europe  (green & dark grey) – in the European Union  (green) In Alsace-Moselle The Fifth Republic ( French : Cinquième République )

3132-455: Was gained by the right from the left in 2001. However, in 2008, the UMP incumbent Fabienne Keller could be potentially defeated by the PS's Roland Ries. A poll showed her defeated 53–47 in the runoff. For the first time ever, the three main parties (center-right UMP , centrist MoDem , and center-left PS ) put on top of a 50-odd lists candidates with a non-European ethnic background (" candidats de la diversité "), most either from North Africa,

3190-404: Was marked by tensions between longtime politicians from the former Green party and new activists from various non-political social movements. Jean-Paul Besset, for example, resigned all his leadership responsibilities in EELV within weeks and denounced a "poisonous Cold War atmosphere". A month later, Philippe Meirieu was named as the first president of the party's new federal council, created by

3248-418: Was rejected because one of its candidates was also on a FN list. With his sky-high popularity, Collomb was re-elected by the first round and Perben himself was defeated in his sector. In the country's third largest city, Jean-Claude Gaudin of the UMP faced Socialist Senator Jean-Noël Guérini, FN candidate Stéphane Ravier, and MoDem MEP Jean-Luc Bennahmias . The race was very close and both sides had

3306-492: Was to elect a mayor . Municipal councilors, and the mayors they elect, ordinarily serve a term of six years. However those who took office following the last municipal elections , held on 11 and 18 March 2001, had their terms extended to seven years by an Act of the French parliament designed to avoid an overloading of the electoral calendar in 2007. The left gained back grounds lost in 2001 and in previous elections and sent

3364-568: Was very easily re-elected. Françoise de Panafieu represented the centre-right UMP as the right tried, in vain, to regain the capital. Among high-profile candidates on her lists is the Justice Minister Rachida Dati , UMP elected in the 7th arrondissement of Paris . In Bordeaux , the incumbent Mayor and former Prime Minister Alain Juppé , defeated in the 2007 parliamentary election , stood for re-election. The Socialist candidate

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