France
Parliamentary Elections
Electoral system
- Bicameral parliament
- Chamber name: National Assembly (Assemblée nationale)
- Members (lower house): 577
- Term: 5 years
- Constituencies: 577 single-member constituencies: 555 for metropolitan France; 17 for overseas departments and collectivités territoriales; 5 for overseas territories.
- 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.
- Voter requirements: 18 years of age; French citizenship.
- Voting is not compulsory.
Latest elections
Election results 2007 - round 2, national summary
The June 2007 parliamentary elections saw once again a duel between the UMP and the PS. President Sarkozy insisted that he needed a majority in the National Assembly to carry out his presidential program. Pre-election polls predicted a major victory for the UMP. On 10 June, 60.42 per cent of registered voters turned out at the first round of the polls, the lowest figure since 1958. 110 candidates were elected in the first round, compared to 58 in the 2002 elections. The UMP and its allies took 98 of those 110 seats, securing 39.54 per cent of the valid votes while the PS obtained 24.73 per cent of the votes.
Fiscal issues took centre stage during the period between the first and second rounds. Prime Minister François Fillon came in for scathing criticism from the PS over the government's supposed plans to introduce a "social VAT" (value-added tax).
On 17 June, the second round of elections for the remaining 467 seats involved candidates who had obtained over 12.5 per cent of the registered vote in the first round. Nearly 60 per cent of registered voters turned out at the polls. The final results confirmed a clear victory for the UMP, giving it a total of 313 of the 577 seats. The PS took 186 seats. The New Centre party won 20 seats, whereas the MODEM took only three.
Sources
The Electoral Reform Society, European Democracies website.
Ministry of the Interior: Election results.
Inter-Parliamentary Union, PARLINE: database on national parliaments
