Freedom in the World 2004 - France

Political Rights: 1
Civil Liberties: 1
Status: Free
Population: 59,800,000
GNI/Capita: $22,730
Life Expectancy: 79
Religious Groups: Roman Catholic (83-88 percent), Protestant (2 percent), Muslim (5-10 percent), Jewish (1 percent)
Ethnic Groups: Evangelical Lutheran (89 percent), Russian Orthodox (1 percent), other (10 percent)
Capital: Paris

Overview

In 2003, France took a prominent role on the world stage as the most prominent leader of the opposition to the U.S.and British-led war in Iraq. In a related vein, the country sought to strengthen the capacities of the European Union (EU) in defense and security affairs by proposing, along with Germany, Belgium, and Luxembourg, the creation of a new EU-only military planning cell. At home, President Jacques Chirac's party had a comfortably large majority in parliament and sought modest economic reforms intended to spur sluggish growth. The government's use of fiscal stimulus to aid the economy brought it into conflict with the EU, whose rules limit deficit spending. The year saw numerous anti-Semitic acts (most probably committed by Muslim sympathizers with the Palestinian intifada, or uprising, in Israel and the occupied territories), and anti-immigration sentiment continued to be a cause of some concern.

After the French Revolution of 1789, democratic development was uneven. Republics alternated with monarchies (both Bonapartist and Bourbon) until 1871, with the creation of the Third Republic. Invaded and defeated by Germany in World War II, France was split into an occupied northern half and the collaborationist Vichy regime in the south. After the war, democracy was restored and Charles de Gaulle, free France's wartime leader, became president with the creation of the presidential system of the Fifth Republic, which stands today.

President Jacques Chirac was first elected in 1995. In the first round of the May 2002 presidential election, it was expected that he and Lionel Jospin, the prime minister and head of the rival Socialist Party, would receive the most votes and move to the second round. However, Jean-Marie Le Pen, the head of the far-right, xenophobic National Front, stunned France and the world by receiving more votes than Jospin. Chirac defeated Le Pen overwhelmingly in the second round, and in subsequent June parliamentary elections, the newly created Union for a Presidential Majority won a comfortable majority of seats in parliament for Chirac.

In late 2002, France supported UN Security Council 1441, which threatened "serious consequences" against Iraq if it did not comply with weapons inspectors. However, France clearly never supported an early war and fought to prolong inspections. When the United States sought a second resolution explicitly declaring Iraq in breach of its obligations and paving the way to war, France stated that it would veto any such resolution. Along with the opposition of Russia, another permanent veto-holder on the Security Council, France effectively blocked UN authorization for the war in early 2003, in a move that severely strained French relations with the United States but that bolstered Chirac's popularity at home.

After the war, Chirac took the issue further by proposing, along with Germany, Belgium, and Luxembourg, an EU-only military planning cell to be based in Tervuren, in Belgium, giving rise to concerns that the NATO alliance would be weakened. Britain's prime minister, Tony Blair, wanting to keep his country at the center of both NATO and the EU, sought and received assurances that the "Tervuren plan" would complement, not compete with, NATO. Relations between France and the U.S. nonetheless remained tense.

France's domestic policy in 2003 has been focused on reviving the economy. Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin pushed through a reform that capped benefits and raised the retirement age for some workers. The trade unions expressed their anger, conducting strikes that brought the country to a halt for several days, but they failed to stop the bill's passage. Raffarin also sought to soften, though not abolish, the laws establishing a 35-hour workweek that were passed by the previous Socialist government. Some aspects of economic policy put France in conflict with the EU, of which it is a key member. The government bailout of Alstom, an ailing engineering giant, drew some criticism, as some perceived the move to be against EU rules on state aid. Most notably, France declared that it would, for the second year in a row, run a deficit in excess of 3 percent of gross domestic product in 2003. This figure is the maximum allowed by EU rules for members that have adopted the euro. The EU has considered fining France, which it is allowed to do under the eurozone's rules, but this remains unlikely, as it would probably provoke a strongly anti-EU backlash in one of the union's driving members.

Political Rights and Civil Liberties

French citizens can change their government democratically. The president is elected for a five-year term (reduced from seven years as of the 2002 election). The key house of parliament, the lower National Assembly, is also elected to a five-year term. The prime minister must be able to command a majority in parliament. For most of the Fifth Republic's history, the president and prime minister have been of the same party, making the president the most powerful figure in the country. There have been several periods of "cohabitation," like that which preceded the 2002 elections, in which the president and prime minister are of rival parties. Under these circumstances the prime minister has the dominant role in domestic affairs, while the president retains control over the armed forces and largely guides foreign policy.

Parties organize and compete on a free and fair basis. Political parties with significant support range from the largely unreformed French Communist Party on the left to the anti-immigrant and anti-EU National Front on the right. France remains a relatively unitary state, with some administrative powers devolved to regions and smaller prefectures, but with key decisions being made in Paris. The issue of Corsica continues to fester. In December 2001, the government devolved some legislative autonomy to the island and allowed teaching in the Corsican language in public schools. However, voters on the island, which hosts a sometimes violent separatist movement, rejected a government proposal for devolution of more power to local Corsican institutions in June 2003.

The president has used his office to head off allegations of corruption stemming from his time as mayor of Paris, claiming immunity as head of state to prevent prosecutions so long as he remains president. Transparency International, a corruption watchdog group, ranked France 23 out of 133 countries in its 2003 Corruption Perceptions Index, a slight improvement from the previous year. Members of the French elite, trained in a small number of prestigious schools, often move between politics and business, increasing opportunities for corruption.

The French media operate largely freely and represent a wide range of political opinion. However, they are not entirely free of harassment. Journalists covering events involving the National Front have been attacked by supporters of the party. Seven reporters had their phones tapped between 2000 and 2002 as part of a government investigation into Corsican separatist violence. Two reporters were arrested on December 30, 2002, after filming the deportation of a Malian immigrant. An 1881 law forbids "offending" various personages, including the president and foreign heads of state, but the press remains lively and critical.

Freedom of religion is protected by the constitution, and strong anti-defamation laws prohibit religiously motivated attacks. However, 2003, like 2002, was marred by numerous incidents of anti-Semitic vandalism believed to be connected to the ongoing Palestinian intifada in Israel. Not all branches of the Church of Scientology and the Jehovah's Witnesses are recognized as religious associations for tax purposes. Many public schools continue to deny Muslim girls the right to wear headscarves in schools, and the public debate over this issue continues. Academic freedom is generally respected.

There is freedom of assembly and association. Trades unions are strong in France, though their memberships have declined over the past two decades. Nongovernmental organizations operate freely, for example criticizing conditions at prisons and detention centers for asylum-seekers.

France has a well-qualified judiciary, and the rule of law is well established. The legal system is based on Roman code law. French citizens are treated equally under the law. However, the rise of the National Front has tempted the government to tighten immigration and asylum rules, which are perceived to be abused by economic migrants.

Gender equality is protected by law. A law governing the 2002 legislative election threatened to reduce public funding for political parties that ran fewer than 50 percent women candidates for the National Assembly. No party fully complied; the Socialists, who introduced the parity bill, ran 37 percent women. Despite equal legal status and well established social liberty, women earn about three-quarters what men earn. Gay rights are protected and a type of non-marriage civil union, the PACS, is recognized.