France: National Assembly, 11 June 2017

At stake in this election:

• 577 seats in the National Assembly

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Emmanuel MACRON (since 14 May 2017)
• Head of Government:  Prime Minister Bernard CAZENEUVE (since 6 December 2016)
• Assembly:  France has a bicameral parliament consisting of the Senate (Senat) of 348 seats and the National Assembly (Assemblée Nationale) of 577 seats

Description of electoral system:

• The 577 members of the National Assembly are elected in a two-round voting system by single-member constituencies.
• A candidate who receives an absolute majority of valid votes and a vote total equal to 25% of the registered electorate is elected in the first round. If not candidate reaches this threshold, a runoff election is held among candidates who received a vote total equal to 12.5% of the electorate. The candidate who receives the most votes in the second round is elected.
• Assembly members serve 5-year terms.

Last Election:

• The Socialist and Republican parties won 258 and 185 seats respectively in the 2012 elections. Together with affiliated parliamentary movements, the left gained control over both the National Assembly and Senate. 155 women were elected, the most in the history of the Assembly.

Main candidates in the election:

• Socialist Party / Parti Socialiste
  • Leader: Jean-Christophe CAMBADELIS
  • Seats won in last election:  258
• Republican Party (formally UPM) / Les Républicains
  • Leader: Francois FILLON
  • Seats won in last election:  185*
• National Front / Front Nationale
  • Leader: Marine Le Pen
  • Seats won in last election:  2
• On the Move / En Marche
  • Leader: Emmanuel MACRON
  • Seats won in last election:  0**
• Europe Ecology-Green Party  / Europe-Écologie-Les Verts
  • Leader: David Cormand
  • Seats won in last election:  16
• Miscellaneous left / Divers gauche (DVG)
  • Leader: N/A
  • Seats won in last election:  21
• Radical Party of the Left / Parti Radical de Gauche (PRG)
  • Leader: Sylvia Pinel
  • Seats won in last election:  11
• Miscellaneous right / Divers droit (DVD)
  • Leader: N/A
  • Seats won in last election:  14
• New Center / Nouveau Centre (NCE)
  • Leader: Hervé Morin
  • Seats won in last election:  11
• Radical Party / Parti Radical (PRV)
  • Leader: Laurent Hénart
  • Seats won in last election:  6

*The Union for a Popular Movement (Union pour un Mouvement Populaire) was renamed the Republicans (Les Republicains) in 2015.

**En Marche is a new centrist party founded by MACRON prior to the 2017 presidential elections.

***4 other parties won 1-2 seats

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population:  62,814,233 (July 2016-excluding overseas regions)
• Registered Voters:  47,582,183 (2017)

Gender Data: 

• Female Population:  34,124,393 (July 2016)
• Is France a signatory to CEDAW:  Yes (17 July 1980)
• Has France ratified CEDAW:  Yes (14 December 1980)
• Gender Quota:  Yes
• Female candidates in this election:   Yes
• Number of Female Parliamentarians:  155 (2015)
• Human Development Index Position:  22 (2014)
• Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization:  Very Low

Disability Data: 

• Is France a signatory to CRPD:  Yes (30 March 2007)
• Has France ratified CRPD:  Yes (18 February 2010)
• Population with a disability:  9,422,135²