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The Prime Minister of France (Premier ministre français) in Fifth Republic
French Fifth Republic

The Fifth Republic is the fifth and current Republicanism Constitution of France of France, which was introduced on October 5, 1958. The Fifth Republic emerged from the collapse of the French Fourth Republic, replacing a parliamentary government with a semi-presidential system....
 is the functional head of the government and Council of Ministers
French government ministers

The Council of Ministers of France is a body of top administration members of the Prime Minister of France's cabinet. In French language, the word gouvernement generally refers to the "Administration", but in a narrower sense to the cabinet....
 of France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
. The head of state
Head of State

Head of state is the generic term for the individual or collective office that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchic or republican nation-state, federation, commonwealth or any other political state....
 in France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
 is the President of the French Republic
President of the French Republic

The President of the French Republic colloquially referred to in English as the President of France, is France's elected Head of State....
. During the Second
French Second Republic

The French Second Republic was the republican government of France between the Revolutions of 1848 in France and the coup by Napoleon III of France which initiated the Second French Empire....
, Third
French Third Republic

The French Third Republic was the political regime of France between the Second French Empire and the Vichy France. It was a republican parliamentary democracy that was created on 4 September 1870 following the collapse of the Empire of Napoleon III of France in the Franco-Prussian War....
 and Fourth
French Fourth Republic

The Fourth Republic was the republicanism government of France between 1946 and 1958, governed by the fourth republican Constitution of France. It was in many ways a revival of the French Third Republic, which was in place before World War II, and suffered many of the same problems....
 Republics, the Head of Government was called President of the Council of Ministers (Président du Conseil des Ministres), generally shortened to President of the Council (Président du Conseil).

Prime Minister proposes the list of other ministers to the President.






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The Prime Minister of France (Premier ministre français) in Fifth Republic
French Fifth Republic

The Fifth Republic is the fifth and current Republicanism Constitution of France of France, which was introduced on October 5, 1958. The Fifth Republic emerged from the collapse of the French Fourth Republic, replacing a parliamentary government with a semi-presidential system....
 is the functional head of the government and Council of Ministers
French government ministers

The Council of Ministers of France is a body of top administration members of the Prime Minister of France's cabinet. In French language, the word gouvernement generally refers to the "Administration", but in a narrower sense to the cabinet....
 of France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
. The head of state
Head of State

Head of state is the generic term for the individual or collective office that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchic or republican nation-state, federation, commonwealth or any other political state....
 in France
France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
 is the President of the French Republic
President of the French Republic

The President of the French Republic colloquially referred to in English as the President of France, is France's elected Head of State....
. During the Second
French Second Republic

The French Second Republic was the republican government of France between the Revolutions of 1848 in France and the coup by Napoleon III of France which initiated the Second French Empire....
, Third
French Third Republic

The French Third Republic was the political regime of France between the Second French Empire and the Vichy France. It was a republican parliamentary democracy that was created on 4 September 1870 following the collapse of the Empire of Napoleon III of France in the Franco-Prussian War....
 and Fourth
French Fourth Republic

The Fourth Republic was the republicanism government of France between 1946 and 1958, governed by the fourth republican Constitution of France. It was in many ways a revival of the French Third Republic, which was in place before World War II, and suffered many of the same problems....
 Republics, the Head of Government was called President of the Council of Ministers (Président du Conseil des Ministres), generally shortened to President of the Council (Président du Conseil).

Function

The Prime Minister proposes the list of other ministers to the President. Decrees and decisions of the Prime Minister, as almost all executive decisions, are subject to the oversight of the administrative court system (see Conseil d'État
Conseil d'État

In France, the Conseil d'?tat is an organ of the French national government. Its functions include assisting the executive with legal advice and being the supreme court for administrative justice....
). Some decrees may only be taken after advice from the Conseil.

Each minister tends to defend the programs of his or her ministry, yet budgetary choices must be made. The Prime Minister is normally the final arbiter of such choices, though, in times when the President is of the same political stance, the President's choice may be preponderant.

Because the Prime Minister is ultimately responsible for governmental policy, he or she is generally blamed for the government's failings. As a consequence, the popularity of a prime minister may start high, then plummet, depending on circumstances. While some consider the position of Prime Minister as establishing political stature for a presidential bid, it is also arguably a very dangerous position because of the possibilities of unpopularity.

Nomination

The Prime Minister is named by the President of the Republic. Because the National Assembly
French National Assembly

The France National Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of France under the French Fifth Republic. The other is the French Senate ....
 can, by a vote of censure
Censure

Censure is a process by which a formal reprimand is issued to an individual by an authoritative body. In a deliberative assembly, a motion to censure is used....
, force the resignation of the government, the choice of prime minister must reflect the majority in the Assembly. When the President and the majority of the Assembly have opposite political leanings, this yields a situation known as cohabitation
Cohabitation (government)

Cohabitation in government occurs in semi-presidential systems, such as France's system, when the president of France is from a different political party than the majority of the members of parliament....
, where the executive is headed by a president and a prime minister of different opinion.

Prime Ministers are normally chosen from amongst the ranks of the National Assembly. However, on rare occasions, the Prime Minister is a non-officeholder, selected by the President of France because of bureaucratic experience, foreign service, or success in business management. Dominique de Villepin, for example, served as Prime Minister from 2005 to 2007 without ever having held elected office.

Only one woman has ever held the position.

Present

The current Prime Minister of France is François Fillon
François Fillon

Fran?ois Fillon is the current Prime Minister of France, having been appointed to that office by President of the French Republic Nicolas Sarkozy on 17 May 2007....
, who was appointed by President Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy

Nicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd President of the French Republic and ex officio List of Co-Princes of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating Socialist Party candidate S?gol?ne Royal ten days earlier....
 on May 17, 2007.

See also

  • List of Prime Ministers of France
    List of Prime Ministers of France

    Early Modern France...
  • Hôtel Matignon
    Hôtel Matignon

    The H?tel Matignon is the List of official residences of the Prime Minister of France. It is located in the VIIe arrondissement of Paris, France....