FRENCH GOVERNMENT By Jose Guzman and Andregina Gomez

POLITICAL SYSTEM v France is a republic v 2012 election was going to be a close victory. In the event, Socialist candidate François Hollande won the night with 51. 9% of the vote to Nicolas Sarkozy’s 48. 1%. v Hollande campaigned on a kinder, gentler, more inclusive France, but defeated Nicolas Sarkozy. However, Hollande and Sarkozy had promised to balance the budget in the next five years.

POLITICAL SYSTEM (CONT. ) v The President, who is also supreme commander of the military, has a term of 5 years (use to be 7 by the Fifth Republic), determines policy with the aid of his Council of Ministers. The President appoints a prime minister (currently François Fillon) , who forms a government.

POLITICAL SYSTEM (CONT. ) v The main political parties are: Ø On the right: The Popular Union Movement, of which Nicolas Sarkozy was leader before becoming President. The UMP has a majority in the National Assembly. Ø Centre left: The Democratic Movement Ø On the left: the Socialist party- the main opposition party. Ø Centre right: the New Centre

ECONOMIC SYSTEM v France has a mixed economy which combines extensive private enterprise with substantial state enterprise and government intervention. v France has the world's fifth largest economy by nominal figures and the ninth largest economy by PPP figures. It has the second largest economy in Europe in nominal figures and third largest economy in Europe in PPP figures.

FOREIGN POLICY v France is a member of the United Nations and serves as one of the permanent members of the UN Security Council with veto rights. It is also a member of the G 8, World Trade Organization (WTO), the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC)and the Indian Ocean Commission (COI). It is an associate member of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS)and a leading member of the International Francophone Organization (OIF) of fifty-one fully or partly French-speaking countries

FOREIGN POLICY (CONT. ) v France's annual military expenditure in 2010 was US$61. 3 billion, or 2. 5% of its GDP, making it the third biggest military spender in the world after China and the United States of America

HEALTHCARE v The French healthcare system was ranked first worldwide by the World Health Organization in 1997 and then again in 2000. v Care is generally free for people affected by chronic diseases, such as cancer, AIDS or Cystic Fibrosis. v Average life expectancy at birth is 78 years for men and 85 years for women, one of the highest of the European Union. v There are 3. 22 physicians for every 1000 inhabitants in France, and average health care spending per capita was US$4, 719 in 2008. v As of 2007, 140, 000 inhabitants (0. 4%) of France are living with HIV/AIDS

EDUCATION v The schooling system in France is centralized, and is composed of three stages, primary education, secondary education, and higher education. v The Programme for International Student Assessment, coordinated by the OECD, currently ranks France's education as the 25 th best in the world, being neither significantly higher nor lower than the OECD average. v Primary and secondary education are predominantly public, run by the Ministry of National Education.

ENVIRONMENT v France was one of the first countries to create a Ministry of the Environment, in 1971. v It is ranked 17 th by carbon dioxide emissions, behind such less populous nations as Canada, Saudi Arabia or Australia. This situation results from the French government's decision to invest in nuclear power in 1974 (after the 1973 oil crisis), which now accounts for 78% of France's electricity production and explains why France pollutes less than comparable countries.

GEOGRAPHY v France is located in Western Europe and is between west coast of the Atlantic Ocean and south east coast of the Mediterranean Sea v France has a number of territories in North America, the Caribbean, South America, the southern Indian Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, and Antarctica. These territories have varying forms of government ranging from overseas department to overseas collectivity. France's overseas departments and collectivities share land borders with Brazil, and Suriname (bordering French Guiana), and Sint Maarten (bordering Saint-Martin). v France can be Mediterranean climate to below freezing and snowy

CITATIONS v http: //www. state. gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3842. html (A website that explains what France government is all about. ) v http: //topics. nytimes. com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/france/ind ex. html (An Article from the New York Times about France Government) v http: //topics. nytimes. com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/france/ind ex. html (An article explaining the aspects of France’s Government. ) v http: //www. brookings. edu/research/articles/2001/03/france-duhamel (An Article about France’s Presidential candidates. ) v http: //topics. nytimes. com/top/reference/timestopics/people/h/francois_hollande/in dex. html (Article about Francois Hollande and his political views. )