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The French National Assembly
explained to young people
The National Assembly is one of the two assemblies which, with the Senate, constitute the French Parliament. Created on 17 June 1789, it has taken on different forms and names but resumed its original name in 1946.
French Institutions
See also General Presentation
of French Political Institutions
Deputies
The National Assembly consists of 577 deputies elected by direct universal suffrage, in other words by all French citizens of both sexes aged over
18, in all 41,7 million electors. Each deputy is elected in a constituency (one for each of the 577 constituencies). To be elected a deputy must obtain an absolute majority of votes (more than half the votes) at the first ballot or a relative majority (the largest number of votes) at the second ballot.
Election of deputies
The National Assembly is elected for 5 years but its life may be shortened if it is dissolved by the President of the Republic (as was the case in 1962, 1968, 1981, 1986 and 1997).
The last election took place on 10 (1st ballot) and on 17 June 2007 (2nd ballot). The next election is to take place in
June 2012.
Legislative
elections of June 2007
Political groups
The deputies generally belong to political groups representing the main French political parties. At present the National Assembly is constituted as
follows :
Composition of political
groups
Each deputy also sits on one of the 6 standing committees.
Size of political groups at the National
Assembly [XIIth legislature]
[XIIIth
legislature]
Powers of the Assembly
The main powers of the National Assembly are to adopt statutes and supervise Government policy.
Adopting statutes
Concerning the adoption of statutes, if the two assemblies fail to agree the National Assembly has the upper hand. Constitutional Acts must be adopted by the National Assembly and the Senate, then by all of the deputies and senators convened in Congress, by a three-fifths majority.
Supervising Government policy
The supervision of governmental action takes place in each assembly by means of debates on Government statements, questions for oral answer and for written answer, and by the creation of committees of inquiry or of temporary information assignments. Further, an issue may be raised of the Government's political responsibility (challenging of its existence) before the National Assembly. This can be done either on the occasion of a general policy statement for which the Prime Minister calls for a vote of confidence by the Assembly, or on the occasion of the passing, by an absolute majority of members of the National Assembly, of a motion of censure signed by a tenth of its members.
The National Assembly sits in the Palais Bourbon in Paris on the banks of the Seine.
More detailed information (in French) can be obtained by clicking on one of the following topics :
© Assemblée nationale |