| Capitale | nom: Paris coordonnées géographiques: 48 52 N, 2 20 E différence de temps: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October note: applies to metropolitan France only; for its overseas regions the time difference is UTC-4 for Guadeloupe and Martinique, UTC-3 for French Guiana, UTC+3 for Mayotte, and UTC+4 for Reunion |
| Fête de l'Indépendance | no official date of independence: 486 (Frankish tribes unified under Merovingian kingship); 10 Aoüt 843 (Western Francia established from the division of the Carolingian Empire); 14 Juillet 1789 (French monarchy overthrown); 22 Septembre 1792 (First French Republic founded); 4 Octobre 1958 (Fifth French Republic established) |
| Fête nationale | Fete de la Federation, 14 Juillet (1790); note - although often incorrectly referred to as Bastille Day, the celebration actually commemorates the holiday held on the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille (on 14 Juillet 1789) and the establishment of a constitutional monarchy; other names for the holiday are Fete Nationale (National Holiday) and quatorze juillet (14th of Juillet) |
| Constitution | history: many previous; latest effective 4 Octobre 1958 amendments: proposed by the president of the republic (upon recommendation of the prime minister and Parliament) or by Parliament; proposals submitted by Parliament members require passage by both houses followed by approval in a referendum; passage of proposals submitted by the government can bypass a referendum if submitted by the president to Parliament and passed by at least three-fifths majority vote by Parliament’s National Assembly; amended many times, last in 2008; note - in Mai 2018, the prime minister submitted a bill to the National Assembly to amend several provisions of the constitution (2018) |
| Suffrage - Age minimum de l'électeur | 18 ans; universal |
| Pouvoir exécutif | chef d'état (Président): Président Emmanuel MACRON (depuis 14 May 2017) chef de gouvernement (1er ministre): Prime Minister Edouard PHILIPPE (depuis 15 May 2017) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president at the suggestion of the prime minister elections/appointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 23 April with a runoff on 7 May 2017 (next to be held in April 2022); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Emmanuel MACRON elected president in second round; percent of vote in first round - Emmanuel MACRON (EM) 24.%, Marine LE PEN (FN) 21.3%, Francois FILLON (LR) 20.%, Jean-Luc MELENCHON (FI) 19.6%, Benoit HAMON (PS) 6.4%, other 8.7%; percent of vote in second round - MACRON 66.1%, LE PEN 33.9% |
Source: CIA World Factbook - Version du décembre 31, 2019
