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Arnaud Montebourg, Bastien François

The Constitution of the Sixth French Republic Publication date : September 15, 2005

Since its creation in the Spring of 2001, the Convention for the Sixth Republic, originally presided over by Arnaud Montebourg, has served to instigate a vast process to democratise France’s political system. It was notably responsible for proposing a series of constitutional reforms, prepared by Bastien François.
Since 21st April 2002 (when the Socialist candidate was eliminated in the first round of the French Presidential elections, leaving Jacques Chirac and the National Front candidate to face each other in the final round), a major reform of the Fifth Republic has been on the agenda, for the left and the right. It is now essential to go further with this reform, in light of the upcoming presidential election and the party-platform discussions that will precede it.

In this book, the authors propose a complete draft of a new constitution, and explain why a change of regime is necessary. They call for a total break — even if they recommend that certain existing aspects be preserved. They explain their proposed constitution and describe the political events that they believe will lead to its elaboration.
The draft of a new constitution is a political act as much as a tool for analysis and discussion. The question the authors ask is: What should France be like in the future?

Arnaud Montebourg is a lawyer and a member of the French Parliament. He is the author of Les Affaires, la politique et la justice; Au cœur de la gauche; Les Milliards noirs du blanchiment; and La Machine à trahir.

Bastien François teaches political science at the University of Paris-I. He is the author of Comprendre la Constitution européenne.