Constitution of France
Also known as French constitution of 4 October 1958, French Constitution of 1958, Constitution of the Fifth French Republic
fifth and current republican constitution of the French Republic
Key facts
- Original title
- (in French) Constitution française du 4 octobre 1958
- Jurisdiction
- France
- Ratified
- 28 September 1958 ; 67 years ago ( 1958-09-28 )
- Date effective
- 4 October 1958 ; 67 years ago ( 1958-10-04 )
- System
- Unitary semi-presidential republic
- Branches
- Three (executive, legislative and judiciary)
- Chambers
- Two ( Senate and National Assembly )
- Executive
- President -led Council of Ministers responsible to the National Assembly ; , Prime minister as head of government
- Judiciary
- High Court is established for presidential Impeachment purposes; an extra-judicial body, the Constitutional Council , reviews the constitutionality of laws; no other part of the court system is referenced.
- Federalism
- Unitary
- Electoral college
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Article
The current Constitution of France was adopted on 4 October 1958. It is typically called the Constitution of the Fifth Republic (French: la Constitution de la Cinquième République), and it replaced the Constitution of the Fourth Republic of 1946, keeping its preamble. The current Constitution regards the separation of church and state, democracy, social welfare, and indivisibility as core principles of the French state.
Charles de Gaulle was the main driving force in introducing the new constitution and inaugurating the Fifth Republic, while the text was drafted by Michel Debré. Since then, the constitution has been amended twenty-five times, notably in 2008 and most recently in 2024.