France Passport

The French Republic (La R é publique fran ç aise).

【 Area 】 550000 square kilometers (excluding overseas territories), the largest country in the European Union.

Population: 68.37 million (as of January 2024).

Paris, the capital city, has a population of 2.1 million (estimated by the French National Statistics Office in April 2024). Marine climate, warm and comfortable in summer, abundant sunshine, temperature of 15-25 ℃; Spring and autumn are mild and cool, with sudden cold and heat occurring; In winter, the daytime is cool and the nighttime is cold, with the lowest temperature generally around 3 ℃, rarely dropping below -5 ℃. The average annual precipitation is 641 millimeters.

President Emmanuel Macron was first elected in May 2017, re elected on April 24, 2022, and inaugurated on May 7. Term of office is 5 years.

National Day: July 14th. In 1880, the parliament legislated to confirm that the day of the French bourgeois revolution's capture of the Bastille in 1789 was National Day.

【 Overview 】 Located in western Europe, it is hexagonal in shape and faces water on three sides. It borders Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Monaco, Spain, and Andorra, and faces the United Kingdom across the English Channel to the northwest. The plain accounts for 2/3 of the total area. The main mountain ranges include the Alps, Pyrenees, and Jura Mountains. Located near four major sea areas: the North Sea, the English Channel, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Mediterranean Sea. The total length of the local border line is 6337 kilometers, including 3424 kilometers of coastline, 2913 kilometers of land line, 1263 kilometers of overseas border line, and 2000 kilometers of coastline. The western region has a temperate maritime climate, the southern region has a subtropical Mediterranean climate, and the central and eastern regions have a continental climate. The average temperature in January is 1 ℃ -7 ℃ in the north and 6 ℃ -8 ℃ in the south; In July, the temperature ranges from 16 ℃ to 18 ℃ in the north and from 21 ℃ to 24 ℃ in the south.

Formerly known as "Gaul", it was occupied by the Romans in the 1st century BC. In the 5th century, the Franks migrated here and established the Charlemagne Empire in 843, becoming an independent country. During the reign of the Capetian dynasty from the 10th to the 14th century, it was renamed the Kingdom of France. The Bourbon dynasty reached its peak during the reign of Louis XIV in the second half of the 17th century. On July 14, 1789, the bourgeois revolution broke out, the Declaration of Human Rights was issued, the monarchy was abolished, and the First Republic was established in 1792. Afterwards, it went through the First Empire established by Napoleon, the Bourbon Restoration, the July Dynasty, the Second Republic, the Second Empire, and the Third Republic. In March 1871, the Paris People's Armed Uprising established the world's first proletarian regime - the Paris Commune, which was suppressed in May of that year. In World War I, France joined the Allied Powers and won the war against them. During World War II, it was invaded by Germany. General Charles de Gaulle organized the anti fascist "Free France" movement and liberated Paris in August 1944. In October 1946, the Fourth French Republic was established and entered a period of political instability, with over 20 governments changing in 12 years. In 1958, the Fifth Republic was established and Charles de Gaulle became its first president. Afterwards, Pompidou, d'Estaing, Mitterrand, Chirac, Sarkozy, Hollande, and Macron successively became presidents.

The national flag of France is a blue, white, and red tricolor flag, and the national anthem is "Marseillaise".

Politics: A semi presidential and semi parliamentary system. In 2022, President Macron was re elected.

From 2015 to 2016, France suffered three serious terrorist attacks, and the security situation was severe. The French government strengthened security measures and made every effort to combat terrorism. In recent years, there have been no major terrorist attacks in France, but small-scale lone wolf terrorist attacks have occurred from time to time. In 2021, France promulgated the "Consolidation of Republican Principles Law" and the "Comprehensive Security Law".

The current Constitution of the Fifth Republic was passed by a referendum in September 1958 and came into effect on October 4th. It is the 16th Constitution in French history. It has undergone multiple modifications. The Constitution stipulates that the President is the Head of State and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, with a term of 5 years, and is directly elected by the voters. The President appoints and dismisses the Prime Minister and approves the Minister nominated by the Prime Minister; Preside over Cabinet meetings, the Supreme National Defense Council, and the National Defense Committee; The right to dissolve the parliament, but not twice within a year; Some important bills can be directly submitted for citizen voting without going through parliament; In extraordinary times, the president has full authority to take necessary measures according to the situation. When the President is unable to perform his duties or is vacant, the Senate President shall temporarily exercise the powers of the President.

The parliament implements a bicameral system of the National Assembly and the Senate, with the power to enact laws, supervise the government, pass budgets, and approve declarations of war. The National Assembly has a total of 577 seats, with a term of 5 years, and adopts a two round majority voting system, which is directly elected by voters. The previous National Assembly was elected in June 2022, and the centrist alliance "Together" won a relative majority. In June 2024, French President Macron announced the dissolution of the National Assembly and held new National Assembly elections. In July, the left-wing alliance "New People's Front" composed of "Undying France", the Socialist Party, the Green Party, and the French Communist Party won the most seats in the election. The number of seats held by the Central Alliance, the National Alliance, and their allies, with the Renaissance Party as the main body, ranked second and third respectively. Yael Braun Pivet, a member of the Renaissance Party, has been re elected as the Speaker of the House.

The Senate has a total of 348 seats, indirectly elected by an electoral college composed of members of the National Assembly and local councils at all levels. The term of office is 6 years, with half of the seats being re elected every 3 years. In September 2023, the Senate held its triennial re-election, with the center right camp maintaining its majority position in the Senate. Republican Party Senator G é rard Larcher won re-election. The seats held by each party group in this session of the National Assembly are as follows:

National Assembly (source: French National Assembly website):