[ad_1]
French voters were asked to go to the polls on Sunday to celebrate a remarkable moment in their political history: The first round of snap parliamentary elections could produce the country’s first far-right government since the Nazi occupation during World War II — or it could be without a majority, it said. Associated Press.
After the second round of voting on July 7 and the accelerated campaigning, the voting results remain highly uncertain as three main political groups compete with each other: the far right National FrontPresident Emmanuel Macron’s centrist coalition and the New Popular Front coalition, which includes the center-left, the Greens and the far left.
Here are the details on today’s French election:
How does the French electoral system work?
The French system is complex and disproportionate to party support at the national level. Representatives are elected by constituency. candidate He needs more than 50% of the vote on Sunday to be elected outright.
Otherwise, the two best candidates advance to the second round along with all candidates who receive support from more than 12.5% of registered voters.
In some cases, three or four people make it to the second round, although some may drop out to improve another candidate’s chances – a tactic used in the past to block far-right candidates.
The leaders of the major parties are expected to reveal their strategies between the two rounds of elections. This makes the outcome of the second round very uncertain, depending on political strategy and voter response.
The far-right National Front, which leads in all pre-election polls, hopes to secure an outright majority, meaning winning at least 289 of the 577 seats in parliament.
The National Assembly, the lower house, is the more powerful of France’s two chambers of parliament and has the final say over legislative proceedings in the conservative-dominated Senate.
Current President Emmanuel Macron He is in office until 2027 and has said he will not resign before the end of his term.
What is cohabitation?
If a political force outside the centrist coalition wins a majority, Macron will be forced to appoint a prime minister from the new majority.
In this scenario, called “cohabitation,” the government will implement a different policy from the president’s plan.
Contemporary Republic France She cohabited three times, the last of which was with Socialist Prime Minister Lionel Jospin from 1997 to 2002 under conservative President Jacques Chirac.
The Prime Minister is responsible to Parliament, leads the government and proposes laws.
“As far as cohabitation is concerned, the policy implemented is essentially the prime minister’s policy,” said political historian Jean Garrigue.
The president was weakened domestically during the cohabitation period but still had some authority over foreign policy, European affairs, and defense because he was the one who negotiated and approved international agreements. president He is also the supreme commander of the country’s armed forces and the master of nuclear codes.
Garrigue added: “It is possible for the president to block or temporarily suspend the implementation of a certain number of the prime minister’s projects, as he has the power to sign or not sign government decrees or decrees.”
“Nevertheless, the prime minister has the power to put these decrees and ordinances to a vote in the National Assembly, which could overcome the president’s reluctance,” he said.
Who sets defense and foreign policy?
During previous periods of coexistence, defense and foreign policy were considered informal “reserves” of the president, who was usually able to reach compromises with the prime minister so that France spoke with one voice abroad.
However, today the positions of the far-right and left coalition in these areas are very different from Macron’s approach and could become a subject of tension during a potential period of coexistence.
Garrigue said that under the constitution, “the president is the head of the military, but the prime minister has the power to mobilize the armed forces.”
Garrig added: “In the field of diplomacy, the president’s remit is also quite limited.”
Chairman of the National Front, Jordan BaldellaBardella said he would oppose sending French troops to Ukraine if he became prime minister – a possibility Macron has not ruled out. He also said he would refuse France’s delivery of long-range missiles and other weapons capable of striking targets inside Russia.
If the left-wing coalition wins the election, it could undermine France’s diplomatic efforts in the Middle East.
The new Popular Front’s platform calls for “immediate recognition of the State of Palestine” and “ending the French government’s misguided support for the Israeli Prime Minister’s government.” Benjamin Netanyahu.
Macron has previously said recognition of a Palestinian state should come at the “right time” and suggested the war between Israel and Hamas did not currently allow for that.
What happens if there is no majority vote?
The president can appoint the prime minister from the parliamentary bloc with the most seats in the National Assembly – as has been the case with Macron’s centrist coalition since 2022.
However, the National Front has said it would reject that option because it would mean the far-right government could quickly be overthrown by a no-confidence vote if other parties joined forces.
The president could try to assemble a broad coalition from left to right, but that option sounds unlikely given the political divide.
Another complicated option is to appoint a “government of experts” that is not affiliated with a political party but still needs to be accepted by a majority of members of the National Assembly, experts say. Such a government would likely handle most day-to-day matters rather than implement major reforms.
If the political talks during the summer vacation last too long, Paris Olympics Garrigue said a “transition period” from July 26 to August 11 could not be ruled out, during which Macron’s centrist government would “continue to be in charge of current affairs” pending further decisions.
“Whatever the National Assembly looks like, the constitution of the Fifth Republic seems to be flexible enough to survive these complex situations,” said Melodi Mok-Gruet, a public law expert.
“Even in the face of these experimental exercises, institutions are more solid than they appear.”
“However, there is another unknown in the equation: people’s ability to accept the situation,” concludes Mock-Groot.
(Telegraf.rs)
fbq('init', '826484444393247');
fbq('track', 'PageView');
[ad_2]
Source link
