Government of France
| Government of the Kingdom of France | |
|---|---|
| Gouvernement du royaume de France | |
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| Overview | |
| Established | 26 April 1959 (Charter of 1959) |
| State | France |
| Leader | Prime Minister of France |
| Appointed by | King of the French |
| Main organ | Council of Ministers |
| Responsible to | National Assembly |
| Headquarters | Élysée Palace, Paris |
| Website |
gouvernement |
| This article is part of a series on the |
| Politics of France |
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Minister: Paul-André Quentin
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The Government of France, formally the Government of the Kingdom of France (French: Gouvernement du royaume de France), exercises executive power in the Kingdom of France. It is formally headed by the King of the French, who appoints the prime minister and the council of ministers on the recommendation of the largest party or coalition of parties in the elected Chamber of Deputies. The constitution states that the King must let the prime minister and the Chamber of Deputies make decisions on day-to-day governance by royal prerogative, effectively reducing many of his powers to being symbolic or "reserve powers" while making the prime minister, in effect, the most powerful executive office. But the King can intervene in disputes when there is political gridlock in the executive or legislative branches to negotiate a resolution, and can bring to the attention of the government certain issues by giving an address to the French parliament, a role of the monarch that the constitution calls "ensuring the efficiency of government institutions as a last resort." Decrees of the king have to also be signed by a minister to became valid, meaning that the King cannot make decrees without the prime minister's approval. Among the monarchs of France since the Orléans Restoration, Henry VII intervened in state affairs the most, and his successors have done so less often.
The prime minister of France has broad powers as the chief executive in both foreign and domestic affairs. He selects ministers for the council, proposes laws to the National Assembly, sends back legislation from the Assembly to be reviewed, selects other senior officials in the executive branch, and exercises the role of the king as the Chief of the Armed Forces. He also keeps the King informed of the political situation. The prime minister is chosen by the leading party in the Chamber of Deputies before being formally appointed by the King, who himself is involved in negotiations to form a new government (cabinet) after elections.
The government meets weekly at the Élysée Palace in Paris. Within the cabinet, the prime minister ranks first, followed by senior ministers, known as ministers of state (ministres d'État), who are followed by ministers (ministres), ministers delegate (ministres délégués), and junior ministers that are known as secretaries of state (secrétaires d'État). They are responsible to the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate and, in theory, to the king. The Court of Justice of France (Cour de Justice) is a special court that can charge ministers for misconduct or crimes committed while in office.
Composition and function
Formation
Separation of powers
Current government
A list of current ministries in the council:
- Ministry of the Interior
- Ministry of Justice
- Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs
- Ministry for the Armed Forces
- Ministry for Territorial Cohesion and Relations with Local Government
- Ministry for Solidarity and Health
- Ministry of the Economy, Finance and the Recovery
- Ministry for the Ecological Transition
- Ministry of Culture
- Minister of Labour, Employment and Economic Inclusion
- Ministry of National Education, Youth and Sport
- Ministry of Agriculture and Food
- Ministry of Public Sector Transformation and the Civil Service
- Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation
- Ministry for Overseas France
See also
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This page uses material from the Wikipedia page Government of France, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License (view authors).
This page uses material from the Wikipedia page Government of Belgium, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License (view authors).
