The Realignment of Political Forces in France
| Author | Hugh G. Thorburn |
| Date | 01 December 1964 |
| DOI | 10.1177/002070206401900404 |
| Published date | 01 December 1964 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
The
Realignment
of
Political Forces
in
France
Hugh
G.
Thorburn*
Not
surprisingly,
the
collapse
of
parliamentary
democracy
twice
in
less
than
a
generation has left Frenchmen
with
little
confi-
dence
in
their
traditional
multiple
party
system.
However,
they
are
far
from
satisfied
with
the
new
forms
that
General
de
Gaulle
has
bestowed upon
them.
The
result
is
a
searching-for
new
approaches
both
within
the
old
parties
and
outside
in
unions,
study
clubs,
the
press,
and in academic
and intellectual
circles.
Since
the
Algerian crisis
is
resolved,
the
need
for
unity
to
meet
the
threat
of
subversion
is
passed,
and
the
nation
is
free
to
tackle
its
political
structure.
Any
peaceful
attempt
to
change
things
must
be
made
within
the
institutions
of
the Fifth
Republic.
These
are,
intentionally,
very
different
from
the
two previous
republican
constitutions
that
have served
the
country
for
the
past
century.
The
Presi-
dent
is
now
a key
figure
with the
power
to
designate
the
prime
minister,
dissolve
parliament,
and
govern
by
decree when
he
considers
an
emergency
to
exist.
His
authority
after
the
next
presidential
election
will
rest
on
his
election
by universal
suf-
frage.
Given
the
importance
of
the
presidency and
the
reduced
powers
of
parliament
it
is
obvious
that
French
politics
will pivot
around
the
presidential
election,
instead
of
the
parliamentary
election.
The
1962
constitutional
revision
provided
for
two
stages
in
the
election:
a
first
round
between
all
candidates,
and
a
runoff
between
two
among
the
more favoured candidates.
To
compete
with the
Gaullist
candidate,
the
parties
of
the
left
must
either
unite
behind
one
man
or
forfeit
the
election.
The
new
institu-
tions,
in
the
presidential
elections
at
least,
strike
down
the
old
multiple
party
structure
and
favour
a
two
party
system
in
the
same
way
as
the
American
electoral
arrangements
do.
If
there
were simply
a
match
between
the
new
Gaullist
insti-
tutions
and
the
deeply-rooted
French
party
system,
past
experi-
*
Department
of
Political
Science,
Queen's
University.
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