The French Presidency

Question 1

Charles de Gaulle

Answer 1

1959-1969

Question 2

Pompidou

Answer 2

1969-1974

Question 3

Giscard

Answer 3

1974-1981

Question 4

Mitterand

Answer 4

1984-1995

Question 5

Chirac

Answer 5

1995-2007

Question 6

Sarkozy

Answer 6

2007-2012

Question 7

Hollande

Answer 7

2012-present

Question 8

1st cohabitation

Answer 8

Mitterand and Hirac from 1986-1988

-Mitterand in control of largest party, was able to be a competitor with PM

Question 9

2nd cohabitation

Answer 9

From 1988 Mitterand and Chirac after calling an election

-Right landslide, Mitterand could not respond

Question 10

3rd cohabitatoin

Answer 10

Chirac and Jospin 1997-2002
Surprise cohabitation caused by Chirac attempting to draw a new mandate and being caught out by the rise of the plural left
“Paralysis” for 5 years

Question 11

Aritcles of the 5th Republic Constitution: President’s rights

Answer 11

Article 5 (responsible for ensuring constitution followed)
Article 11 (power to call referendum)
Article 20 (power to appoint PM
Article 44-3 (package vote)
Article 45-2 (ability for government to mark bills as urgent)
Power to dissolve parliamnet

Question 12

1962 Consitutional Amendment

Answer 12

President directly elected by the people

Question 13

Cohabitation

Answer 13

• Giscard and Chirac not formally under cohabitation but similar attributes (adversarial nature of the arrangement)
• President use full extent of constitutional powers: Mitterand attending G7 and Balladur refusing to go
• Chirac’s use of Article-45-2

Question 14

Changes to the Presidential Offices’s strength

Answer 14

• Change of term length

- European policy (suggestions that has given more strength to smaller localised units via SNAs- (David Howarth))