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FRANCE
Assemblée nationale (National Assembly)

This page contains the full text of the PARLINE database entry on the selected parliamentary chamber, with the exception of Oversight and Specialized bodies modules which, because of their excessive length, can be only viewed and printed separately.

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GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE PARLIAMENTARY CHAMBER

Parliament name (generic / translated) Parlement / Parliament
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Structure of parliament Bicameral
Chamber name (generic / translated) Assemblée nationale / National Assembly
Related chamber (for bicameral parliaments) Sénat / Senate
Affiliation to the IPU Yes
Affiliation date(s) 1889 -
LEADERSHIP
President Richard Ferrand (M) 
Notes Elected on 12 Sep. 2018.
Secretary General Michel Moreau (de l'Assemblée/Présidence) (M) 
Christophe Pallez (questure) (M) 
Notes Mr. Michel Moreau: Secretary General of the National Assembly and the Presidency, appointed on 5 March 2016.
Mr. Christophe Pallez: Secretary General of the Questor's office, appointed on 26 Oct. 2014.
COMPOSITION
Members (statutory / current number) 577 / 576
PERCENTAGE OF WOMEN


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Women (current number) 228 (39.58%)
Mode of designation directly elected 577
Term 5 years
Last renewal dates 11 June 2017
18 June 2017 (View details)
CONTACT INFORMATION
Address Assemblée nationale
Palais Bourbon
126, rue de l'Université
75355 PARIS 07 SP
(Export mailing lists)
Phone (33) 1 40 63 60 00
Fax (33) 1 41 55 75 23
1 40 63 84 97
E-mail infos@assemblee-nationale.fr
Website
http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr

ELECTORAL SYSTEM

Parliament name (generic / translated) Parlement / Parliament
Structure of parliament Bicameral
Chamber name (generic / translated) Assemblée nationale / National Assembly
Related chamber (for bicameral parliaments) Sénat / Senate
LEGAL FRAMEWORK
Electoral law 27 October 1964
Last amendment: 14 April 2011
Mode of designation directly elected 577
Constituencies 577 single-member constituencies:
- 556 for metropolitan France
- 10 for overseas departments ("collectivités territoriales")
- 11 for French citizens living abroad".
Voting system Majority: Single-Member Majoritarian Systems in two rounds
A candidate is elected in the first round if he/she obtains an absolute majority of the total votes cast, provided this amount is equal to a quarter of the number of registered voters in the particular constituency. In order to be eligible for the second round, candidates must have obtained a number of votes equal to at least 12.5% of the total number of registered voters. However, if only one candidate fulfils this condition, the person who polls the second largest number of votes in the first ballot may also participate in the second at which, to be elected, a simple majority suffices.
Should a seat become vacant during the course of a legislature, the alternate who was elected along with the titular candidate is called on to fill the seat if the titular candidate is deceased or appointed to a government post or to sit on the Constitutional Council or if the titular candidate has been called away on a temporary mission assigned by the government and extended for a period exceeding six months; in all other cases, by-elections are held within the three months following vacation of the seat (unless the vacancy arises in the final year of the legislature.
Voting is not compulsory.
Voter requirements - Age: 18 years
- French citizenship
- Disqualifications: persons under guardianship, forfeiture of voting rights as a result of certain penal sentences
CANDIDATES
Eligibility Qualified electors
- Age: 18 years
- French citizenship
- Persons who have fulfilled their obligations under the law on national (military) service
- ineligibility: persons under guardianship and those deprived of their eligibility as a result of certain penal sentences, serious breaches of campaign financing legislation, failure to declare assets, judicial liquidation, undischarged bankrupts, functions involving authority in home constituency (relative ineligibility)
Incompatibilities - Members of the Government
- Members of the Constitutional Council
- Members of the European Parliament
- Senators
- Members of the Economic and Social Council
- Judges, civil servants, career members of the armed forces
- Holders of non-elected public office
- Posts attributed and remunerated by a foreign State or an international organization
- Managers or directors of national enterprises or national public establishments
- Managers or directors of firms:
1) benefiting from State or local government administration subsidies;
2) working principally for or under the control of the State or other public person;
3) entitled to public savings; and
4) involved in real estate.
These incompatibilities are not applicable to posts held by members of parliament in:
1) regional or local establishments provided that the deputies were appointed to serve in a local capacity;
2) public private regional or local firms; and
3) establishments with an exclusively social purpose.
- Consultancies accepted during the term of office,
- Holding more than one of the following posts: regional councillor, general councillor, municipal councillor of a commune with fewer than 3,500 inhabitants.
Candidacy requirements - Submission of candidature four Fridays before polling day
- Simultaneous submission of name of alternate
- Designation of a representative by date of candidature registration
- If the candidate obtains at least 5 per cent of the votes cast in the constituency concerned in one of the two rounds of voting, the cost of paper, ballot printing, posters, flyers and the cost of displaying posters are reimbursed.

LAST ELECTIONS

Parliament name (generic / translated) Parlement / Parliament
Structure of parliament Bicameral
Chamber name (generic / translated) Assemblée nationale / National Assembly
Related chamber (for bicameral parliaments) Sénat / Senate
BACKGROUND
Dates of election / renewal (from/to) (from/to)11 June 2017
18 June 2017
Timing and scope of renewal President Emmanuel Macron's Republic on the Move (REM) and its ally, the Modem, won an outright majority, taking a total of 350 seats in the 577-member National Assembly. The REM, established only in 2016, defeated two long-established parties that had dominated French politics: The Republicans (LR, formerly, the Union for a Popular Movement) took 112 seats, down from 194; the Socialist Party (PS) of former President François Hollande took only 30, down from 280. A record 224 women were elected (up from 155 recorded in 2012), of whom 143 were from REM which endorsed slightly more female candidates than male candidates. Half of REM's candidates were from civil society. During the election campaign, the major parties focused on job creation, tax reforms and anti-terrorism measures.

The 2017 parliamentary elections followed the presidential elections. In the run-off elections held in May, Mr. Macron (REM), former Minister of Economy and Finance under President Hollande (PS), defeated Ms. Marine Le Pen of the National Front (FN). President Macron subsequently appointed Mr. Edouard Philippe (LR) as his Prime Minister. The new government includes former members of the PS and the LR, members from the civil society, and has an equal number of men and women.

President Emmanuel Macron's Republic on the Move (REM) and its ally, the Modem, won an outright majority, taking a total of 350 seats in the 577-member National Assembly. The REM, established only in 2016, defeated two long-established parties that had dominated French politics: The Republicans (LR, formerly, the Union for a Popular Movement) took 112 seats, down from 194; the Socialist Party (PS) of the former President François Hollande took only 30, down from 280. A record 224 women were elected (up from 155 recorded in 2012), of whom 143 were from REM which endorsed slightly more female candidates than male candidates. Half of REM's candidates were from civil society. During the election campaign, the major parties focused on job creation, tax reforms and anti-terrorism measures.

The 2017 parliamentary elections followed the presidential elections. In the run-off elections held in May, Mr. Macron (REM), former Minister of Economy and Finance under President Hollande (PS), defeated Ms. Marine Le Pen of the National Front (FN). President Macron subsequently appointed Mr. Edouard Philippe (LR) as his Prime Minister. The new government includes former members of the PS and the LR, members from the civil society, and has an equal number of men and women.
Date of previous elections: 10 & 17 June 2012

Date of dissolution of the outgoing legislature: N/A

Timing of election: Upon normal expiry

Expected date of next elections: June 2022

Number of seats at stake: 577 (full renewal)

Number of candidates: 7,877 (4,535 men, 3,342 women)

Percentage of women candidates: 42.4%

Number of parties contesting the election: Not available

Number of parties winning seats: 16 nuances

Alternation of power: Yes

Number of parties in government: 2

Names of parties in government: The Republic on the Move (REM), Modem (MDM)*
*The Government formed in May 2017 also includes former members of the Socialist Party (PS) and the Republicans (LR).

Date of the first session of the new parliament: 27 June 2017

Name of the new Speaker: Mr. François de Rugy (The Republic on the Move)
STATISTICS
Voter turnout
Round no 111 June 2017
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes
47'571'319
23'170'977 (48.71%)

Notes
Distribution of votes
Round no 1
Political group Candidates Votes % of votes
The Republic on the Move (REM)
The Republicans (LR)
Modem (MDM)
Socialist Party (PS)
Union of Democrats and Independents (UDI)
La France insoumise (France Unbowed, FI)
Other left wing parties (DVG)
French Communist Party (COM)
National Front (FN)
Other parties of the right (DVD)
Regionalist (REG)
Others (DIV)
Left Radical
Debout la France ("Stand Up France", DLF)
Ecologist (ECO)
Far Right (EXD)
Distribution of seats
Round no 1
Political Group Total of seats
The Republic on the Move (REM) 308
The Republicans (LR) 112
Modem (MDM) 42
Socialist Party (PS) 30
Union of Democrats and Independents (UDI) 18
La France insoumise (France Unbowed, FI) 17
Other left wing parties (DVG) 12
French Communist Party (COM) 10
National Front (FN) 8
Other parties of the right (DVD) 6
Regionalist (REG) 5
Others (DIV) 3
Left Radical 3
Debout la France ("Stand Up France", DLF) 1
Ecologist (ECO) 1
Far Right (EXD) 1
Distribution of seats according to sex
Men

Women

Percent of women
353

224

38.82%
Distribution of seats according to age
Distribution of seats according to profession
Comments
Sources:
National Assembly (19.06.2017, 20.06.2017, 17.07.2017, 02.08.2018)
https://www.interieur.gouv.fr/Actualites/L-actu-du-Ministere/Premier-tour-des-elections-legislatives-resultats-globaux
https://www.interieur.gouv.fr/Elections/Elections-legislatives-2017/Second-tour-des-elections-legislatives-les-resultats
http://www2.assemblee-nationale.fr/elections/liste/2017/resultats/RESULTAT
https://www.data.gouv.fr/fr/datasets/elections-legislatives-des-11-et-18-juin-2017-liste-des-candidats-du-1er-tour/
http://www2.assemblee-nationale.fr/deputes/liste/homme-femme
https://en-marche.fr/
https://www.republicains.fr
http://www.lemonde.fr/
https://www.theguardian.com

PRESIDENCY OF THE PARLIAMENTARY CHAMBER

Parliament name (generic / translated) Parlement / Parliament
Structure of parliament Bicameral
Chamber name (generic / translated) Assemblée nationale / National Assembly
Related chamber (for bicameral parliaments) Sénat / Senate
APPOINTMENT AND TERM OF OFFICE
Title President of the National Assembly
Term - duration: duration of the legislature (max 5 years)
- reasons for interruption of the term: resignation, loss of parliamentary seat, death
- in case of dissolution, the President and the Questors assume general administrative powers until the new Assembly has taken up its functions
Appointment - elected at the first sitting of the legislature, before the Constitutional Court has ruled on petitions contesting electoral operations
Eligibility Any MP may be a candidate and no notification of candidature is required
Voting system - vote by secret ballot
- if no candidate has obtained an absolute majority in the first two rounds, a relative majority is sufficient in the third round; in case of a tie, the senior candidate is declared elected
Procedures / results - the senior Member presides over the Assembly during the voting
- tellers drawn by lot count the votes
- the senior Member announces the results without delay
- the results cannot be challenged
STATUS
Status - ranks fourth in the order of precedence, after the President of the Senate
- presides over sittings of the National Assembly
- represents the Assembly in general
- convenes and presides over the Bureau of the Conference of Presidents
- represents the Assembly when it participates in international bodies
- is de facto President of the French Chapter of the AIPLF (International Assembly of French Speaking Parliamentarians) and Joint President of the French IPU Group
- in case of vacancy, is replaced by one of the Vice-Presidents
- presides over the sittings of the Congress (joint meeting of the National Assembly and Senate)
Board - consists of 22 Members: 1 Chairman, 6 Vice-Chairmen, 3 Questors and 12 Secretaries elected at the beginning of each legislature and (apart from the Chairman) renewed every year at the opening sitting of the ordinary session
- meets once a month, on average, and whenever necessary
- has all powers to regulate the deliberations of the Assembly and to organize and manage all services in the conditions laid down in the Standing Orders

Material facilities - allowance (received by all MPs)
+ expense allowance (FF 58,000/mo
- official residence (Hôtel de Lassay) + official suite (Château de Versailles)
- administrative personnel, secretariat, service officers
- official cars + chauffeurs
- police officers
FUNCTIONS
Organization of parliamentary business - convenes public sittings of the Assembly (the timetable for sessions is laid down in the Constitution)
- decides which standing committee bills and amendments are to be referred to
- is competent to assess the admissibility of amendments
- passes judgement on the legislative admissibility of amendments
The Conference of Presidents may:
- establish a supplementary agenda
- decide on how to organise the general discussion by the Assembly of the texts submitted
Chairing of public sittings - can open, adjourn and close sittings
- ensures respect for provisions of the Constitution and Standing Orders
- makes announcements concerning the Assembly
- takes disciplinary measures
- establishes the order of speakers, gives and withdraws the floor
- establishes the order in which amendments are taken up, in accordance with the Rules of Procedure
- calls for a vote
- authenticates the texts adopted and the records of debates by signing them, together with two Secretaries
- may be led to interpret the Rules or other regulations governing the life of the Assembly
Special powers The Board is responsible with regard to:
- the recruitment, assignment and promotion of staff
- appointments, particularly that of the Clerk
- the organization of the services of Parliament
- the questors, under the Board's authority, are responsible for the administrative and financial services
- has broad powers to take an initiative or give an impetus in the international field, but a five-Member delegation of the Board is responsible for relation with foreign Parliaments
- is responsible for safety, and in this capacity, can call the police in the event of disturbance in the Assembly
- is empowered to seize the Constitutional Council to settle a dispute between himself/herself and the Administration with regard to the admissibility of a bill or amendment,
- when he/she deems that an international commitment contains an unconstitutional clause,
- when he/she deems that a law which has been adopted but not yet promulgated is unconstitutional
- appoints the members of the Constitutional Council, the High Council of the Magistrature, the High Audiovisual Board and other extra-parliamentary bodies
Speaking and voting rights, other functions Like any member of the Assembly, he may take the floor in legislative debates, take part in voting, propose bills or amendments (but rarely does so)
- appoints three members of the Constitutional Council
- can bring matters before the Constitutional Council
- must be consulted by the President of the Republic in certain circumstances

PARLIAMENTARY MANDATE

Parliament name (generic / translated) Parlement / Parliament
Structure of parliament Bicameral
Chamber name (generic / translated) Assemblée nationale / National Assembly
Related chamber (for bicameral parliaments) Sénat / Senate
NATURE
Nature of the mandate · Free representation (Art. 27 (1) of the Constitution of 04.10.1958, version published on 23.02.1996)
Start of the mandate · Upon appointment which comes when the results are declared (MPs take up office when the term of the outgoing MPs ends)
Validation of mandates · No validation, except in case of challenge. In this case, the Constitutional Council rules on the regularity of the election (Art. 59 of the Constitution).
· Procedure
End of the mandate · On the day when the legal term of the House ends, i.e. the third Tuesday in June of the fifth year following the election of the National Assembly (Art. L.O. 121 of the Electoral Code). In case of early dissolution, the mandate ends on the day of dissolution.
Can MPs resign? Yes · Yes, of their own free will (Art. 6 (1) of the Standing Orders of the National Assembly)
· Conditions (Art.6 (1) of the Standing Orders of the National Assembly)
· Procedure (Art. 6 (2) of the Standing Orders of the National Assembly): resignations must be addressed in writing to the President of the National Assembly, who brings them to the attention of the Assembly at the first following sitting and notifies the Government.
· Authority competent to accept the resignation: the President of the National Assembly
Can MPs lose their mandate ? Yes (a) Loss of mandate for incompatibilities concurrent holding of more than one public office/failure to take the oath (compulsory resignation):
(1) With respect to incompatibility if the deputy has voluntarily preferred his professional activities to the exercise of his parliamentary mandate and has not resigned from the latter
(2) With regard to concurrent holding of more than one public office if the deputy has not regularised his situation within the time limit set and when the mandate at the origin of the situation of concurrently held offices is a parliamentary mandate such as being a member of the European Parliament (art. L.O. 2000 -294)
(3) Failure to fulfil the obligation to make one of the two compulsory declarations of assets
- Procedure
(b) Loss of mandate following a judicial decision (forfeiture):
- Members whose ineligibility comes out after the declaration of results and expiry of the deadline during which they may be contested or who, during their mandate, find themselves in one of the cases of ineligibility foreseen by the Electoral Code (Art. L.O. 136 (1) of the Electoral Code), shall forfeit their status of deputy without further consideration.
- Procedure
STATUS OF MEMBERS
Rank in hierarchy · Within Parliament:
- Vice-Presidents and questors: the order of precedence, in case of a vote, is determined by the date and the round of voting in which they were elected or, if they were elected in the same round of voting, by the number of votes they obtained. In case of a tie in the same round of voting, the oldest member shall have precedence. If there is no vote, precedence derives from the order of presentation chosen by the leaders of the groups (Art. 11 (2) and (3) of the Standing Orders of the National Assembly).
- Committee Vice-Presidents: there is no order of precedence between Committee Vice-Presidents (Art. 39 (6) of the Standing Orders of the National Assembly.
Indemnities, facilities and services · No diplomatic or official passport·
. Basic salary + Housing allowance + Duty allowance: FF 41,510.70 + Expense allowance: FF 34,692/per month·
. Exemption from tax for the duty allowance. The basic salary and the housing allowance are taxable under the same regime as wages and salaries (Art. 43 of Law N° 92-108 of 03.02.1992).
· Pension scheme
· Other facilities:
(a) Secretariat/official housing
(b) Assistants: credit, for the benefit of deputies, earmarked for the payment of collaborators, which came to FF 41,175 as of 01.10.1997
(c) Official car: car fleet (some 20 vehicles), failing which possi-bility of using Paris taxis
(d) Postal and telephone services
(e) Travel and transport
Obligation to declare personal assets Yes
Parliamentary immunity - parliamentary non-accountability · The concept does exist (Art. 26 (1) of the Constitution.·
· Parliamentary non-accountability is limited to acts relating to parliamentary functions, with regard to both substance and venue.·
· Derogations: insult, provocation or threat against other deputies, the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister, members of the Government and the assemblies foreseen by the Constitution, insult of the Assembly or its President (Art. 71 (5), and 73 (4) to (5) of the Standing Orders of the National Assembly; see Discipline).·
· Non-accountability takes effect on the day when the mandate begins and offers, after the expiry of the mandate, protection against prosecution for opinions expressed during the exercise of the mandate.
Parliamentary immunity - parliamentary inviolability · The concept does exist (Art. 26 (2) of the Constitution).·
· It applies only to criminal proceedings, covers all offences and protects MPs only from arrest and from being held in preventive custody, not from the opening of judicial proceedings against them or from their homes being searched.·
· Derogations: parliamentary inviolability does not apply in cases of a flagrante delicto crime or misdemeanor or final sentencing (Art. 26 (2) of the Constitution).·
· Parliamentary inviolability does not prevent MPs from being called as witnesses before a judge or tribunal.·
· Protection is provided from the start to the end of the mandate. As parliamentary inviolability does not in general provide protection against prosecution, it also fails to cover judicial proceedings instituted against MPs before their election.·
· Parliamentary immunity (inviolability) can be lifted (Art. 26 (2) of the Constitution). The authorisation given by the Board is only valid for the facts mentioned in the request:
- Competent authority: the Board of the National Assembly
- Procedure (Art. 9 (bis) of Order N° 58-1100 of 17.11.1958 relating to the functioning of parliamentary assemblies; Art. 16 (1), (2) and (4) of the General Rules of the Board): MPs may ask to be heard by the delegation of the Board, but do not have other means of appeal.
· Parliament cannot subject the prosecution and/or detention to certain conditions.
· Parliament can suspend the prosecution and/or detention of one of its members (Art. 26 (3) of the Constitution):
- Competent authority: the National Assembly
- Procedure (Art. 26 (4) of the Constitution, Art. 80 of the Standing Orders of the National Assembly, Art. 16 (3 and 4) of the General Rules of the Board)·
· In the event of preventive custody or imprisonment, the MPs concerned cannot be authorised to attend sittings of Parliament.
EXERCISE OF THE MANDATE
Training · There is no training/initiation process on parliamentary practices and procedures for MPs.
· Handbooks of parliamentary procedure:
- Compendium of texts applicable to the authorities
- Standing Orders of the National Assembly
Participation in the work of the Parliament · It is not compulsory for MPs to be present at plenary sittings. However, taking into account cases of delegation of vote, votes on motions of censure and excuses, if during a session an MP fails to take part in at least two-thirds of the public votes, this shall lead to the forfeiture of one-third of the office-holder's salary for a duration equal to that of the session. If the same MP has taken part in less than half of the votes, this forfeiture is doubled (Art. 162 (3) of the Standing Orders of the National Assembly).·
· In committees, attendance is compulsory (Art. 42 (1) of the Standing Orders of the National Assembly).·
· Penalties foreseen in case of failure to fulfil this obligation (Art. 42 (3) of the Standing Orders of the National Assembly)
· Body competent to judge such cases/to impose penalties: the President of the National Assembly
Discipline · The rules governing discipline within Parliament are contained in title I, chapter XIV of the Standing Orders of the National Assembly (Art. 70 to 79).
· Disciplinary measures foreseen (Art. 70 of the Standing Orders of the National Assembly):
- Call to order (Art. 71 (1) to (3) of the Standing Orders of the National Assembly)
- Call to order with entry in the record and one month's forfeiture of one-fourth of the basic salary (Art. 71 (4) to (6) of the Standing Orders of the National Assembly)
- Simple censure with one month's forfeiture of one-fourth of the basic salary (Art. 72 and 75 to 76 (1) of the Standing Orders of the National Assembly)
- Censure with temporary exclusion and two month's forfeiture, of half of the basic salary (Art. 73, 75 and 76 (2) of the Standing Orders of the National Assembly)·
· Specific cases:
- Assault (Art. 74 of the Standing Orders of the National Assembly): all penalties foreseen
- Suspension of freedom to debate and to vote (Art. 77 of the Standing Orders of the National Assembly): censure with temporary exclusion and six month's forfeiture of half of the basic salary; referral of the case to the Chief Prosecutor
- Electoral fraud (Art. 77 of the Standing Orders of the National Assembly): one month's forfeiture (six in the event of a repeat offence), of one-fourth of the basic salary
- Criminal acts (Art. 78 of the Standing Orders of the National Assembly): notification of the National Assembly; notification of the Chief Prosecutor
- Abuse of office and acceptance of an imperative mandate (Art. 79 of the Standing Orders of the National Assembly): all penalties foreseen
- Insult, provocation, threat or contempt (Art. 71 (5) and 73 (4) and (5) of the Standing Orders of the National Assembly): call to order with entry in the record one month's forfeiture of one-fourth of the basic salary; censure with temporary exclusion and two month's forfeiture of half of the basic salary·
Competent body to judge such cases/to impose penalties:
- Call to order: the President
- Censure: the National Assembly
- Assault: the Board
- Suspension of freedom to debate and vote: the National Assembly; the President
- Electoral fraud: the Board
- Criminal acts: the President; the Board
- Abuse of office and acceptance of an imperative mandate: according to penalty
- Insult, provocation, threat or contempt: the President; the National Assembly· Procedure:
- Call to order (Art. 71 (1) and (3) of the Standing Orders of the National Assembly)
- Censure (Art. 73 (7) and 75 of the Standing Orders of the National Assembly)
- Specific cases
Code (rules) of conduct · This concept does not exist in the country's juridical system but there are some relevant provisions and laws (Art. 79 of the Standing Orders of the National Assembly (see Discipline), Art. 150 and 151 of the Electoral Code, Organic Law N° 88-226 and Law N° 88-227 of 11.03.1988 relating to financial transparency in political life, Law N° 93-122 of 29.01.1993 called the Anti-Corruption Law, Law on the financing of political parties, Law on concurrent holding of more than one office, etc.).
Relations between MPs and pressure group · Prohibitions protecting the free mandate

This page was last updated on 13 September 2018
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