Nomination
The prime minister is appointed by the President of the Republic. The president can choose whomever he wants — this is in contrast with parliamentary systems in which the head of state has to appoint the leader of the largest party in the legislature — and in fact, only a handful of prime ministers were the leader of their own party upon taking office. Likewise, 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 bureaucraty 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 elected office.
On the other hand, because the National Assembly does have the power to force the resignation of the government, the choice of prime minister must reflect the majority in the Assembly. For example, right after the legislative election of 1986, President François Mitterrand appointed Jacques Chirac as prime minister, Chirac was a member of the RPR and a political opponent of Mitterrand's, and despite the fact the Mitterrand's own Socialist Party was still the largest party in the Assembly, the RPR had an ally in 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.
So far, Édith Cresson is the only woman to have ever held the position of prime minister.
Read more about this topic: Prime Minister Of France
Famous quotes containing the word nomination:
“In ancient times—’twas no great loss—
They hung the thief upon the cross:
But now, alas!—I say’t with grief—
They hang the cross upon the thief.”
—Anonymous. “On a Nomination to the Legion of Honour,” from Aubrey Stewart’s English Epigrams and Epitaphs (1897)
“The confirmation of Clarence Thomas, one of the most conservative voices to be added to the [Supreme] Court in recent memory, carries a sobering message for the African- American community.... As he begins to make his mark upon the lives of African Americans, we must acknowledge that his successful nomination is due in no small measure to the support he received from black Americans.”
—Kimberly Crenshaw (b. 1959)
“Do you know I believe that [William Jennings] Bryan will force his nomination on the Democrats again. I believe he will either do this by advocating Prohibition, or else he will run on a Prohibition platform independent of the Democrats. But you will see that the year before the election he will organize a mammoth lecture tour and will make Prohibition the leading note of every address.”
—William Howard Taft (1857–1930)