France is composed of 96 departments (including the island-departments of Corsica), grouped into 22 regions and subdivided into districts, municipalities, and cantons. Together with the overseas departments and territories, they constitute the French Republic.

The Fifth French Republic is governed under a constitution adopted in 1958 and amended in 1962. It provides a strong president, directly elected to a term of five-year office (since the referendum of 2000 – before the term was 7 years), and a bicameral parliament.
The National Assembly is composed of 577 deputies, elected for 5 years. The place of the Assembly is the Palais Bourbon and is led by the Prime Minister.
The Senate holds 317 senators, elected by grand electors (mayors....) for 9 years and renewed by third.

De Gaulle (French president 1954-1968) stressed independence from the U.S. and NATO in military affairs. His conservative policies were continued by his successors, Georges Pompidou and Valéry Giscard d’Estaing.

In 1981, after 23 years of Gaullist dominance, Socialist François Mitterrand was elected president and embarked on a programme that included administrative decentralization and nationalization of banks and industry. In 1986 the Socialists lost their parliamentary majority, and Mitterrand was forced to appoint Jacques Chirac, a Gaullist, as Premier. Chirac reversed the Socialist programme with a policy of reprivatisation and opposed Mitterrand in the 1988 presidential election. Mitterrand won, and the Socialists regained control of the national assembly. Mitterrand turned increasingly to foreign affairs and pursued a more moderate economic program.

Rising unemployment and other economic difficulties, as well as several corruption scandals, led to a resounding Socialist defeat in 1993. Conservatives captured nearly 85% of the seats in the national assembly, and Édouard Balladur, a Gaullist, became Premier.

In 1995 Chirac defeated Balladur and Socialist candidate Lionel Jospin to succeed Mitterrand as French president. After deciding to dissolve the National Assembly in 1997 and organising new elections for deputies, the Socialist party won the vote and Lionel Jospin became Prime Minister.

After 5 Years of cohabitation, Lionel Jospin lost the presidential election in 2002, marked by the qualification of the extreme right candidate for the second round and Jacques Chirac's victory by more than 80% of votes. The conservative party won the deputy election right after and ran the government.

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