Since the Revolution of 1789, France has had an extremely uniform and centralized administration. It is governed under the 1958 constitution, which established the Fifth French Republic and reflected the views of Charles de Gaulle . It provides for a strong president, directly elected for a seven-year term. A premier and cabinet, appointed by the president, are responsible to the national assembly, but they are subordinate to the president.
Parliament consists of the national assembly and the senate.
Senators are elected for nine-year terms from each department by an electoral college composed of the deputies, district council members, and municipal council members from the department. Parliament is solely responsible for legislation regarding civil, fiscal, and penal law, electoral law, civil liberties, the budget, and amnesty and labor laws. The president has power of appointment of the prime minister, the executive ministers, high civil servants, and judges. The president presides over the council of ministers, is the commander in chief of the armed forces, and has power to dissolve the national assembly. Further subdivisions are districts, cantons, and communes.