Debate: Why France needs the Fifth Republic

By Emmanuel Destenay, Research Fellow, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne

France’s current constitution is its fifth, and it’s built for stability – literally. Established in 1958 after the government collapsed in the throes of the Algerian War, the new constitution featured a president with considerable powers. That made the country’s governments more stable – a welcome change from the Third and Fourth Republics – but it’s also left opposition parties consistently frustrated.

There have long been calls for greater proportionality in the National Assembly – then-President Francois Mitterrand heeded…

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