| Prime Minister of the French Republic Premier Ministre Français |
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Logo of the French Government |
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| Residence | Hôtel Matignon |
| Appointer | President of the Republic |
| Term length | While commanding the confidence of the National Assembly and the President of the Republic |
| Inaugural holder | Jules Armand Dufaure, 19 February 1871 |
| Formation | 1871 |
| Website | www.premier-ministre.gouv.fr |
| France |
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The Prime Minister of France (Premier ministre français) in the Fifth Republic is the head of government and of the Council of Ministers of France. The head of state is the President of the French Republic. During the Third and Fourth Republics, the Head of Government was called President of the Council of Ministers (Président du Conseil des Ministres), generally shortened to President of the Council (Président du Conseil).
The prime minister proposes the list of other ministers to the president. 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 (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.
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The prime minister, in its current form, dates from the formation of the French Third Republic. Under the French Constitutional Laws of 1875, he was imbued with the same powers as his British counterpart.
In practice, however, the prime minister was a fairly weak figure. 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 without a government.
The 1958 Constitution includes several provisions intended to strengthen the prime minister's position. For instance, restrictions were placed on votes of censure.
The prime minister is named by the President of the Republic. Because the National Assembly can, by a vote of censure, force the resignation of the government, the choice of prime minister must reflect the majority in the Assembly. The situation where the president and the prime minister are from opposing parties is called cohabitation.
Prime ministers are normally chosen from amongst the ranks of the National Assembly. However, on rare occasions, the prime minister is a non-officeholder selected by the President of France because of bureaucratic experience, foreign service, or success in business management. Dominique de Villepin, for example, served as prime minister from 2005 to 2007 without ever having held elected office.
Only one woman has ever held the position, Édith Cresson.
The Prime Minister of France is François Fillon. He was appointed by President Nicolas Sarkozy on 17 May 2007. He formally resigned on 13 November 2010. However, Fillon was reappointed as Prime Minister on 14 November 2010.