French Political System: Stability Under Conflict

Abstract

This article examines French politics and government through the development of political institutions from the First Republic to the Fifth Republic, with particular emphasis on the relationship between the structure of political power, executive continuity, and regime stability. The analysis finds that the French political system prior to 1958, especially during the Third and Fourth Republics, faced significant constraints arising from governments’ dependence on parliamentary support and shifting political alliances, which affected executive continuity and the capacity to pursue policies consistently. The 1958 Constitution restructured political power by strengthening the executive while retaining the principle of governmental responsibility to parliament. This arrangement developed into a semi-presidential system in which the president, the prime minister, and parliament possess different sources of authority, and the relative distribution of power may shift according to electoral outcomes and the composition of the parliamentary majority, particularly during periods of cohabitation. The article argues that the stability of the Fifth Republic does not mean the absence of political conflict. Rather, it rests on the capacity of political institutions to accommodate shifts in power, conflicts among political actors, and changes of government within a common constitutional framework, while preserving executive continuity, parliamentary oversight, and electoral accountability.