Constitution of France

The current Constitution of France was adopted on 4 October 1958. It is typically called the Constitution of the Fifth Republic (French: la Constitution de la Cinquième République), and it replaced the Constitution of the Fourth Republic of 1946 with the exception of the preamble per a 1971 decision of the Constitutional Council. The current Constitution regards the separation of church and state, democracy, social welfare, and indivisibility as core principles of the French state.

Constitution of France
Overview
Original title(in French) Constitution française du 4 octobre 1958
JurisdictionFrance
Ratified28 September 1958 (1958-09-28)
Date effective4 October 1958 (1958-10-04)
SystemUnitary semi-presidential republic
Government structure
BranchesThree (executive, legislative and judiciary)
ChambersTwo (Senate and National Assembly)
ExecutivePresident-led Council of Ministers responsible to the National Assembly;
Prime minister as head of government
JudiciaryHigh Court is established for presidential Impeachment purposes; an extra-judicial body, the Constitutional Council, reviews the constitutionality of laws; no other part of the court system is referenced.
FederalismUnitary
Electoral collegeNo, but senate elections mandated to be indirect
Last amended2024
SupersedesFrench Constitution of 1946
Full text
Constitution of the Fifth French Republic at Wikisource
Wikisource

Charles de Gaulle was the main driving force in introducing the new constitution and inaugurating the Fifth Republic, while the text was drafted by Michel Debré. Since then, the constitution has been amended twenty-five times, through 2024.

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