France 24 offers you some answers to understand how the legislative electoral system works in France, the result of which will define the new national political order. 577 deputies to the National Assembly are elected and they vote in two rounds: the first on Sunday, June 12, and the second a week later, on June 19. There are 6,293 candidates.
The current parliamentary system in France is bicameral and is made up of the Senate (Upper House) and the National Assembly (Lower House).
The French legislative scrutiny is uninominal majority, this means that the candidate who obtains the highest number of votes wins to the exclusion of all others. The number of candidates in this contest is 6,293, that is, on average a dozen candidates for each constituency – in total there are 577 constituencies, the same number of seats.
A reduction in participants compared to the elections 5 years ago, when there were about 7,900 candidates.
These elections are being held under a highly criticized system, because it benefits the big parties, although for now there is no political will to change it. Marine Le Pen’s National Rally party and other smaller parties have been clamoring for decades for the establishment of a proportional or at least mixed system.
How do you vote to renew the Assembly of France?
As in the presidential elections, the French will elect the members of the National Assembly by direct universal suffrage, in two rounds. The country is divided into 577 electoral constituencies, territorial divisions in which the deputies of the lower house of the Gallic Parliament, currently the National Assembly, are elected.
Each department in France contains at least one constituency and only one candidate can become a deputy from that constituency: the one with the majority of votes.
Who wins a seat from the first round?
Those who obtain more than 50% of the votes cast and who represent at least 25% of the vote of the electorate will win in the first round. They will leave their seat in the Assembly guaranteed. This means that the abstention rate is and will be decisive.
Who will go to the second round of the legislative elections?
All candidates who exceed the threshold of 12.5% of the votes on June 12 will go to the second round on June 19, where the candidate with the most votes will win. In the event of a tie -in a constituency- between two candidates, the oldest will win.
It can also be presented that there are three candidates -in a constituency- in the second round, this is known as “triangular” or four candidates, known as “quadrangular”, but the one with the most votes will win regardless of the number of votes.
In the last elections, in 2017, Macron’s party and its allies obtained an overwhelming absolute majority of 351 seats, compared to 136 for The Republicans, 45 for the Socialist Party, 17 for La Francia Insumisa and 8 for the far-right National Regroupment.
What is the duration of the mandate of a deputy?
The term of office of a deputy is five years. unless the legislature is interrupted by a dissolution of the National Assembly (article 12 of the Constitution) and new elections are organized. The mandate is renewable without limits, this means that an outgoing deputy can, therefore, stand again and continue to be re-elected.
What are the dates of the votes in the overseas territories?
-In French Polynesia, June 4 and 18, 2022.
-In the Americas and Caribbean area, on June 4 and 18, 2022.
-In the rest of the world, June 5 and 19, 2022.
-In Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin, Saint Pierre and -Miquelon, on June 11 and 18, 2022.
-And in metropolitan France, on Sundays June 12 and 19, 2022.
What is political cohabitation and when does it appear?
There is talk of cohabitation when the President of the Republic is not on the same political side as his Prime Minister. This situation can arise after legislative elections, when the hemicycle is dominated by a political tendency other than the presidential party.
In France, this situation occurred three times during the Fifth Republic. Twice under the presidency of François Mitterrand (socialist) and then with Jacques Chirac (conservative).
In this case, the president must appoint a prime minister from the new parliamentary majority. The Head of State and the Head of Government must then “coexist” to lead the Nation.
This situation is unfavorable for the President of the Republic, who loses his power over the internal decisions of the country. Internal affairs are the responsibility of the prime minister and his majority in the Assembly, which is empowered to pass laws. The president must share his prerogatives with his prime minister. Also, the head of state cannot force his prime minister to resign, but he can dissolve the National Assembly by organizing a new vote.
The key in this year’s election lies, according to analysts, in whether the union of the new left-wing platform called Nupes – New Popular, Ecological and Social Union – can endanger the absolute majority of the ruling party, which would then have to turn to the Conservatives in order to pass new laws in the National Assembly.
With the Ministry of France, France 24 in French and local media
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