Crises

National and Global Politics in France

Before getting into politics-related vocabulary words, it might be helpful to understand how the federal French government works.

The basic setup in France is that the country has both a president (le président) and a prime minister (le premier ministre). The President is the head of state (le chef de l’état), and the Prime Minister is the head of government (le chef du gouvernement). The president is elected by a popular vote for a five-year term, while the Prime Minister is selected by the president and approved by Parliament. The Parliament of France is bicameral (meaning two parts), with the National Assembly as the lower house and the Senate as the upper house.

government & Politics Nouns and concepts

le comitécommittee
le débatdebate
le citoyencitizen
la démocratiedemocracy
l’état (m)state
le droit de voteright to vote
le gouvernementgovernment
l’élection (f)election
le chef de l’étathead of state
le sénatsenate
le chef du gouvernement)head of government
l’assemblée nationale (f)the national assembly

government & Politics Verbs

démissionnerto oust, to resign
dirigerto be in charge of, to manage, to direct
recenserto take a census of
élireto elect

Internal and Local Politics in France

France has a long history of protests and demonstrations (some people would say it’s even part of French culture). One type of protest, strikes, or les grèves, are a common method of protest (la protestation) for unions (les syndicats) and other political groups. As in other countries, in France they’re often organized by trade unions to demand higher wages, better protection for workers, or improved working conditions. Other protests and demonstrations (les manifestations) are also common.

les syndicatsunions
une grèvea strike
une protestationa protest
les revendications (f)claims, demands
le porte-parolespokesperson
le rassemblementrally, gathering
la manifestation politiquepolitical demonstration

Other Political Vocabulary VERBS

Below are some more action verbs that you might see when reading about national and international politics.

écarterto open, to move farther apart, to move aside
saluerto wave, salute, greet, or acknowledge
appuyerto rest on, to lean on, to press (as in a button)
éclaterto burst, explode, rupture
giflerto slap, humiliate
tenterto attempt
serrerto hold tightly, to grasp, to squeeze
tenirto hold, to prevail, to keep
retenirto keep from, to prevent, to restrain