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Who are the ministers of the Fifth Republic?

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Abstract

This article presents a descriptive analysis of French ministers since the beginning of the Fifth Republic. We find that ministers are generally appointed aged about 50 years; that women’s representation has increased, but is still less than 30 per cent in the most recent cabinets, and that women often hold more junior positions; that the proportion of ministers who were members of parliament varies, but rarely falls below 60 per cent; that the average minister serves around 15 months; and that ministerial tenure ends mainly due to collective reasons (80 per cent), that is, the prime minister’s resignation or the end of the legislature, rather than reasons relating to the minister individually.

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Notes

  1. It is true that the body of senators is probably even less well known than the ministerial body.

  2. For a discussion of this and other specific features of the French political system, see Elgie (2003).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sciences Po/Centre d’études européennes, Paris, France

    Emiliano Grossman

  2. EM Strasbourg Business School (LaRGE), Strasbourg University, Strasbourg, France

    Abel François

Authors
  1. Emiliano Grossman
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  2. Abel François
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Correspondence to Emiliano Grossman.

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Grossman, E., François, A. Who are the ministers of the Fifth Republic?. Fr Polit 11, 272–283 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1057/fp.2013.11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/fp.2013.11

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