The Majority Representation System under the Hollande’s Administration of France

Abstract

Under the fifth Republic of France with an unusual, hybrid system of government, the President, directly elected, is supposed to wield huge power when, as is currently the case, parties loyal to him command a majority in the National Assembly, the lower house.
  Not having succeeded in bringing about the economic growth, François Hollande has seen his popularity plummet soon after his election in May 2012 and has now become France’s most unpopular president in history. His party, Parti Socialiste, has been defeated in all mid-term elections so far, with the strong showing for the far-right Front National. The high abstention rate, another key to the current electoral landscape in France, represents the apathy of the French toward the traditional political parties and the political system. The electorate tends to cast a vote of rage and a vote of anguish, but also a vote of denial. The majority representation system of France under the fifth Republic has been crumbling.