Political Rights | 38 / 40 |
Civil Liberties | 51 / 60 |
The French political system features vibrant democratic processes and generally strong protections for civil liberties and political rights. However, successive governments have responded to terrorist attacks, the COVID-19 pandemic, and various protests and demonstrations by curtailing constitutional protections and empowering law enforcement to infringe on personal freedoms. The government has also imposed states of emergency, enabling it to curtail the rights to privacy, assembly, and movement.
- In June, after President Emmanuel Macron’s center-right Together for the Republic coalition lost to the far-right National Rally (RN) in European Parliament elections, he dissolved and triggered snap elections for the National Assembly, the lower house of France’s Parliament. The left-wing coalition New Popular Front (NFP) led the two rounds of voting in June and July and emerged with 180 of 577 seats, followed by Together for the Republic with 159, the RN and its allies with 142, and the conservative Republicans with 39. Smaller groups divided the remainder. In a sign of growing political tension and polarization in society, the government reported more than 50 physical attacks on candidates or party activists in the period between the first and second rounds. Despite the NFP victory, Macron named Michel Barnier of the Republicans as prime minister of a center-right minority government in September.
- In December, the Barnier government forced passage of an unpopular legislative package of tax increases and spending cuts, using special constitutional powers that require the government to withstand a confidence vote. His government then lost the confidence vote in the National Assembly, leading Macron to appoint another center-right minority government headed by François Bayrou of the small Democratic Movement party.
- Protests and violent civil unrest broke out in May in the French overseas collectivity of New Caledonia in response to legal reforms that would have expanded voting rights to more residents from outside New Caledonia, diluting the political power of the Indigenous Kanak population. French authorities declared a state of emergency and blocked the social media platform TikTok for two weeks in a bid to control the violence, in which several people were killed. Macron also suspended the controversial reforms and pledged further dialogue; the state of emergency had been lifted by the end of May, and a nighttime curfew was removed in December, but restrictions on public demonstrations remained in place in some locations. In Martinique, another French overseas collectivity, protests and related violence erupted in September over the high cost of living, with incidents of arson and gunfire injuring both police and civilians. The authorities imposed curfews and restrictions on assembly, and antiriot police were deployed from France, though largely peaceful mass protests continued. As tensions eased, the remaining curfews were lifted in November.
- Macron signed a restrictive new immigration law in January, and although the Constitutional Council struck down many of its original provisions, the final version included measures that would allow residency permits to be denied or revoked based on vague grounds like threats to public order or failure to respect the symbols and principles of the French Republic, empower a single judge rather than a panel to rule on asylum applications, and ease deportations for people with established family and other ties to France. Separately during the year, France drew international criticism for banning its athletes from wearing a hijab as the country hosted the Summer Olympics from July to September. Human rights activists also raised concerns about special surveillance measures that were put in place ahead of the games, including video monitoring by experimental artificial intelligence systems.
- In the context of the conflict between Israeli forces and Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip, in which tens of thousands of Palestinians had been killed, public authorities and educational institutions—generally citing security concerns—imposed restrictions on certain conferences, demonstrations, and events that were organized to express support for Palestinians and call for a ceasefire. The bans prompted widespread concerns about civil liberties, though many other such assemblies were allowed to proceed. In addition, a number of individuals who spoke out about the conflict were investigated or punished with fines or short jail terms for alleged violations of a law against condoning terrorism, as Hamas is a designated terrorist organization whose attack on Israel in October 2023 touched off the ongoing war.
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For additional background information, see last year’s full report.
Was the current head of government or other chief national authority elected through free and fair elections? | 4 / 4 |
Were the current national legislative representatives elected through free and fair elections? | 4 / 4 |
Are the electoral laws and framework fair, and are they implemented impartially by the relevant election management bodies? | 4 / 4 |
Do the people have the right to organize in different political parties or other competitive political groupings of their choice, and is the system free of undue obstacles to the rise and fall of these competing parties or groupings? | 4 / 4 |
Is there a realistic opportunity for the opposition to increase its support or gain power through elections? | 4 / 4 |
Are the people’s political choices free from domination by forces that are external to the political sphere, or by political forces that employ extrapolitical means? | 4 / 4 |
Do various segments of the population (including ethnic, racial, religious, gender, LGBT+, and other relevant groups) have full political rights and electoral opportunities? | 3 / 4 |
Do the freely elected head of government and national legislative representatives determine the policies of the government? | 4 / 4 |
Are safeguards against official corruption strong and effective? | 3 / 4 |
Does the government operate with openness and transparency? | 4 / 4 |
Are there free and independent media? | 4 / 4 |
Are individuals free to practice and express their religious faith or nonbelief in public and private? | 3 / 4 |
Is there academic freedom, and is the educational system free from extensive political indoctrination? | 4 / 4 |
Are individuals free to express their personal views on political or other sensitive topics without fear of surveillance or retribution? | 3 / 4 |
Is there freedom of assembly? | 3 / 4 |
Is there freedom for nongovernmental organizations, particularly those that are engaged in human rights– and governance-related work? | 3 / 4 |
Is there freedom for trade unions and similar professional or labor organizations? | 4 / 4 |
Is there an independent judiciary? | 4 / 4 |
Does due process prevail in civil and criminal matters? | 3 / 4 |
Is there protection from the illegitimate use of physical force and freedom from war and insurgencies? | 3 / 4 |
Do laws, policies, and practices guarantee equal treatment of various segments of the population? | 3 / 4 |
Do individuals enjoy freedom of movement, including the ability to change their place of residence, employment, or education? | 4 / 4 |
Are individuals able to exercise the right to own property and establish private businesses without undue interference from state or nonstate actors? | 4 / 4 |
Do individuals enjoy personal social freedoms, including choice of marriage partner and size of family, protection from domestic violence, and control over appearance? | 3 / 4 |
Do individuals enjoy equality of opportunity and freedom from economic exploitation? | 3 / 4 |