5.1. Introduction

♤ France is known as ‘Laboratory of Political experiment’.

♤ It has a unitary form of government and nature of the government is called as semi- Presidential type

♤ It has some features of Parliamentary system and others of Presidential system

♤ The French Parliament does not have supremacy even in law making. There is a list for which the legislature can make laws, whereas rest of the matters are taken care of by the President (i.e. he makes the laws).

♤ This is perhaps the only Democratic Constitution based on the Principle of Supremacy of Executive.

♤ France suffered from political instability. Hence, the Constitution of the 5th Republic provides a strong President, with a fixed term of 5 years, and he enjoys a lot of powers.