cohabitation (‘coexistence’, France)

cohabitation (‘coexistence’, France) A term denoting the coincidence in France of a President from one party and a prime minister from another. Under the Constitution of the Fifth Republic, the president had a strong role and could determine the contours of government policy. This became difficult in the 1970s, when under Giscard d'Estaing and Chirac the president and his prime minister came from two different, but still right-wing, parties. It became even more problematic during the 1980s and 1990s, when president and prime minister came from opposing political camps. This dramatically reduced the powers of the president. As the prime minister became primarily responsible for all aspects of policy formation, the president's role became restricted to matters of EU and foreign policy. The reduced role of the president was reflected in a constitutional amendment of 2001, when the president's term was reduced from seven to five years. The French elections of 2002 brought the longest period of cohabitation to an end, as Chirac's UMP obtained an absolute parliamentary majority.