At the heart of the current constitution is the electorate, comprising of all French citizens over 18. Voters elect the president, members of parliament and certain judges. The next presidential election is in 2027.
The French President (le Président) and Government (le Gouvernement)
Some countries have a president. Some have a prime minister. France has both a prime minister and a president! Like presidents in the US, the president is the head of state, helps negotiate treaties with foreign countries, signs laws and emits décrets (similar to executive orders). The president lives in the Palais de l'Elysée in Paris (similar to the White House).
The president also names a premier ministre (prime minister) to lead the gouvernement (government). The term gouvernement (governement) is a bit confusing since it can refer both to whole system or the specific group of ministres (ministers) including the prime minister. The gouvernement has both legislative and executive powers. Although a separate gouvernement entity doesn't exist in the US, the ministers in the government have analagous roles (e.g. the ministre de la Justice is analogous to the Attorney General). The prime minister has a separate resident in the Hôtel de Matignon in Paris.
The French Parliament (le Parlement)
French parliament is split into two chambers: l'Assemblée nationale (the National Assembly) and le Sénat (the Senate).
