Prime Minister of France - Wikipedia Prime Minister of France Prime Minister of France Premier ministre français Incumbent Édouard Philippe since 15 May 2017 Style His / Her Excellency Member of Cabinet Council of State Reports to President of the Republic and to Parliament Residence Hôtel Matignon Seat Paris, France Appointer President of the Republic Term length No fixed term Remains in office while commanding the confidence of the National Assembly and the President of the Republic Constituting instrument Constitution of 4 October 1958 Precursor Several incarnations since the Ancien Régime Formation 1958 First holder Michel Debré Salary 14,910 euro / month Website www.gouvernement.fr France This article is part of a series on the politics and government of France Republic Fifth Republic Constitution Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen Executive President ( list ) Emmanuel Macron Prime Minister ( list ) Édouard Philippe Government Philippe II Legislature National Assembly President : François de Rugy Senate President : Gérard Larcher Congress of the French Parliament Judiciary Constitutional Council Council of State Court of Cassation Court of Audit Cour de Justice de la République Administrative divisions Regions Departments Elections Presidential Legislative Municipal Political parties Foreign relations Africa Americas Asia France and the United Nations Foreign alliances Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs Related topics Human rights Political scandals France portal Other countries Atlas The French Prime Minister ( French : Premier ministre français ) in the Fifth Republic is the head of government and of the Council of Ministers of France. During the Third and Fourth Republics, the head of government position was called President of the Council of Ministers ( French : Président du Conseil des Ministres ), generally shortened to President of the Council ( French : Président du Conseil ). The Prime Minister proposes a list of ministers to the President of the Republic. Decrees and decisions of the Prime Minister, like almost all executive decisions, are subject to the oversight of the administrative court system. Few decrees are taken after advice from the Council of State ( French : Conseil d'État ). All prime ministers defend the programs of their ministry, and make budgetary choices. The extent to which those decisions lie with the Prime Minister or President depends upon whether they are of the same party. Manuel Valls was appointed to lead the government in a cabinet reshuffle in March 2014, after the ruling Socialists suffered a bruising defeat in local elections. However, he resigned on 6 December 2016, to stand in the French Socialist Party presidential primary, 2017 and Bernard Cazeneuve was appointed as Prime Minister later that day by President François Hollande. Cazeneuve resigned on 10 May 2017. Édouard Philippe was named his successor on 15 May 2017. Contents 1 Nomination 2 Role 3 History 4 Present 5 Fifth Republic records 6 See also 7 References 8 External links Nomination The Prime Minister is appointed by the President of the Republic, who can select whomever they want. While prime ministers are usually chosen from amongst the ranks of the National Assembly, on rare occasions the President has selected a non-officeholder because of their experience in bureaucracy or foreign service, or their success in business management -- Dominique de Villepin, for example, served as Prime Minister from 2005 to 2007 without ever having held an elected office. On the other hand, while the Prime Minister does not have to ask for vote of confidence after cabinet 's formation and they can depend their legitimacy on the President 's assignment as Prime Minister and approval of the cabinet, because the National Assembly does have the power to force the resignation of the cabinet by motion of no confidence, the choice of Prime Minister must reflect the will of the majority in the Assembly. For example, right after the legislative election of 1986, President François Mitterrand had to appoint Jacques Chirac Prime Minister although Chirac was a member of the RPR ( Rally for the Republic ) and therefore a political opponent of Mitterrand. Despite the fact that Mitterrand 's own Socialist Party was the largest party in the Assembly, it did not have an absolute majority. The RPR had an alliance with the UDF, which gave them a majority. Such a situation, where the President is forced to work with a Prime Minister who is an opponent, is called a cohabitation. Édith Cresson is the only woman to have held the position of Prime Minister. Aristide Briand holds the record for number of cabinet formations as Prime Minister with 11 times. He served between 1909 and 1929 with some terms as short as 26 days. Role According to article 21 of the Constitution, the Prime Minister `` shall direct the actions of the Government ''. Additionally, Article 20 stipulates that the Government `` shall determine and conduct the policy of the Nation ''. Other members of Government are appointed by the President `` on the recommendation of the Prime Minister ''. In practice the Prime Minister acts on the impulse of the President to whom he is a subordinate, except when there is a cohabitation in which case his responsibilities are akin to those of a prime minister in a parliamentary system. The Prime Minister can `` engage the responsibility '' of his or her Government before the National Assembly. This process consists of placing a bill before the Assembly, and either the Assembly overthrows the Government, or the bill is passed automatically ( article 49 ). In addition to ensuring that the Government still has support in the House, some bills that might prove too controversial to pass through the normal Assembly rules are able to be passed this way. The Prime Minister may also submit a bill that has not been yet signed into law to the Constitutional Council ( article 61 ). Before he is allowed to dissolve the Assembly, the President has to consult the Prime Minister and the presidents of both Houses of Parliament ( article 12 ). History Official reception at Hôtel Matignon. The office of the prime minister, in its current form, dates from the formation of the French Third Republic. Under the French Constitutional Laws of 1875, the position was imbued with the same powers as his British counterpart. In practice, however, the prime minister was a fairly weak figure, serving as little more than the cabinet 's `` primus inter pares ''. Most notably, the legislature had the power to force the entire cabinet out of office by a vote of censure. As a result, cabinets were often toppled twice a year, and there were long stretches where France was left with only a caretaker government. The 1958 Constitution includes several provisions intended to strengthen the prime minister 's position. For instance, restrictions were placed on votes of censure. Present The current prime minister is Édouard Philippe, who was appointed on 15 May 2017. Fifth Republic records Length of the successive governments of the French Fifth Republic The only person to serve as Prime Minister more than once under the Fifth Republic was Jacques Chirac ( 1974 -- 1976 and 1986 -- 1988 ). The youngest appointed Prime Minister was Laurent Fabius, on 17 July 1984. He was 37 years old. The oldest appointed Prime Minister was Pierre Bérégovoy, on 2 April 1992. He was 66 years old. The only woman who was appointed at the head of government is Edith Cresson, Prime minister from 1991 to 1992. Two Prime Ministers were mayor of Bordeaux, and at the same time prime minister, Jacques Chaban - Delmas ( 1969 -- 1972 ) and Alain Juppé ( 1995 -- 1997 ). The longest - serving Prime Minister was Georges Pompidou, 6 years, 2 months and 26 days, from 1962 to 1968. The shortest - serving Prime Minister was Bernard Cazeneuve, 5 months and 4 days, from 2016 to 2017. Three Prime Ministers were born abroad : Édouard Balladur in İzmir, Turkey, Dominique de Villepin in Rabat, Morocco and Manuel Valls in Barcelona, Spain. See also Hôtel Matignon First Minister of State List of Prime Ministers of France References Jump up ^ Constitutional Council -- Constitution of 4 October 1958 Jump up ^ Britannica Mobile -- iPhone Edition ^ Jump up to : Welcome to the english website of the French National Assembly -- Assemblée nationale External links www.gouvernement.fr Heads of state and government of Europe Heads of state UN members and observers Albania Andorra Armenia Austria Azerbaijan Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Georgia Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Kazakhstan Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macedonia Malta Moldova Monaco Montenegro Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russian Federation San Marino Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Sovereign Military Order of Malta Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine United Kingdom Vatican City Partially recognised Abkhazia Kosovo Northern Cyprus South Ossetia Unrecognised states Artsakh Transnistria Former countries Czechoslovakia East Germany Serbia and Montenegro Soviet Union Yugoslavia Heads of government UN members and observers Albania Andorra Armenia Austria Azerbaijan Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Georgia Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Kazakhstan Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macedonia Malta Moldova Monaco Montenegro Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russian Federation San Marino Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Sovereign Military Order of Malta Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine United Kingdom Vatican City Partially recognised Abkhazia Kosovo Northern Cyprus South Ossetia Unrecognised states Artsakh Transnistria Former countries Czechoslovakia East Germany Serbia and Montenegro Soviet Union Yugoslavia 1. Partially or entirely in Asia, depending on geographical definition. 2. Recognised by at least one United Nations member. 3. Not recognised by any United Nations members. Heads of government of France Restoration Talleyrand Richelieu Dessolles Decazes Richelieu Villèle Martignac Polignac July Monarchy V. de Broglie Laffitte Perier Soult Gérard Maret Mortier V. de Broglie Thiers Molé Soult Thiers Soult Guizot Molé Second Republic Dupont de l'Eure Arago Cavaignac Barrot Hautpoul Faucher Second Empire Ollivier Cousin - Montauban Government of National Defense Trochu Third Republic Dufaure A. de Broglie Cissey Buffet Dufaure Simon A. de Broglie Rochebouët Dufaure Waddington Freycinet Ferry Gambetta Freycinet Duclerc Fallières Ferry Brisson Freycinet Goblet Rouvier Floquet Tirard Freycinet Loubet Ribot Dupuy Casimir - Perier Dupuy Ribot Bourgeois Méline Brisson Dupuy Waldeck - Rousseau Combes Rouvier Sarrien Clemenceau Briand Monis Caillaux Poincaré Briand Barthou Doumergue Ribot Viviani Briand Ribot Painlevé Clemenceau Millerand Leygues Briand Poincaré François - Marsal Herriot Painlevé Briand Herriot Poincaré Briand Tardieu Chautemps Tardieu Steeg Laval Tardieu Herriot Paul - Boncour Daladier Sarraut Chautemps Daladier Doumergue Flandin Bouisson Laval Sarraut Blum Chautemps Blum Daladier Reynaud Pétain Vichy France Pétain Laval Flandin Darlan Laval Provisional Government De Gaulle Gouin Bidault Blum Fourth Republic Ramadier Schuman Marie Schuman Queuille Bidault Queuille Pleven Queuille Pleven Faure Pinay Mayer Laniel Mendès France Faure Mollet Bourgès - Maunoury Gaillard Pflimlin De Gaulle Fifth Republic De Gaulle Debré Pompidou Couve de Murville Chaban - Delmas Messmer Chirac Barre Mauroy Fabius Chirac Rocard Cresson Bérégovoy Balladur Juppé Jospin Raffarin Villepin Fillon Ayrault Valls Cazeneuve Philippe Prime minister Prime Ministers by country Abkhazia Afghanistan Albania Algeria Angola Antigua and Barbuda Armenia Artsakh Aruba Australia Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Bermuda Bhutan Bosnia and Herzegovina Brazil Bulgaria Burkina Faso Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cape Verde Central African Republic Chad Congo ( Kinshasa ) Cook Islands Croatia Cuba Curaçao Northern Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica East Timor Egypt Equatorial Guinea Estonia Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France Ghana Georgia Greece Greenland Grenada Guinea Guyana Haiti Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya North Korea South Korea Kosovo Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lithuania Luxembourg Macedonia Malaysia Malta Mauritius Moldova Mongolia Montenegro Morocco Myanmar ( Burma ) Nagorno - Karabakh Namibia Nepal Netherlands New Zealand Niue Norway Pakistan Papua New Guinea Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Qatar Romania Russia Rwanda Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa São Tomé and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Singapore Sint Maarten Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Ossetia Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Swaziland Sweden Syria Taiwan ( Republic of China ) Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkmenistan Turkey Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom Uzbekistan Vanuatu Vietnam Yemen Western Sahara Zambia Zimbabwe Politics of France portal Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Prime_Minister_of_France&oldid=826460221 '' Categories : Prime Ministers of France Hidden categories : Use dmy dates from May 2017 Articles containing French - language text Official website different in Wikidata and Wikipedia Talk Contents About Wikipedia Български བོད ་ ཡིག Brezhoneg Català Dansk Eesti Ελληνικά Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Français Galego 한국어 Bahasa Indonesia Íslenska Italiano עברית ქართული Lëtzebuergesch Bahasa Melayu 日本 語 Norsk nynorsk Occitan ਪੰਜਾਬੀ Polski Română Simple English Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska ไทย Türkçe Українська Tiếng Việt 粵語 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 19 February 2018, at 06 : 43. 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Question: who is the head of the government in france
Answer: Prime Minister