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107-932: Other occurrences Jacline Mouraud Étienne Chouard Priscillia Ludosky Maxime Nicolle Éric Drouet Jérôme Rodrigues Christophe Chalençon François Boulo [REDACTED] Emmanuel Macron President of the French Republic [REDACTED] Édouard Philippe Prime Minister of France (2017–2020) [REDACTED] Christophe Castaner Minister of Interior (2018–2020) [REDACTED] Jean Castex Prime Minister of France (2020–2022) [REDACTED] Gérald Darmanin Minister of Interior (2020–) President (2017–present) Minister of Economy and Industry (2014–2016) Renaissance [REDACTED] The Yellow Vests Protests or Yellow-Jacket Protests ( French : Mouvement des gilets jaunes , pronounced [muvmɑ̃ de ʒilɛ ʒon] ) are

214-556: A 2000 referendum ; the first election for a shorter term was held in 2002 . Then-president Jacques Chirac was first elected in 1995 and again in 2002, and would have been able to run in 2007 had he chosen to, given the lack of term limits. Following a further change, the constitutional law of 2008 on the modernization of the institutions of the Fifth Republic , a president cannot serve more than two consecutive terms. François Mitterrand and Jacques Chirac were previously

321-487: A Facebook event for 17 November to "block all roads" and thus protest against an increase in fuel prices they considered excessive, stating that this increase was the result of the tax increase. One of the viral videos around this group launched the idea of using yellow jackets. The movement is organized in a leaderless, horizontal fashion. Informal leaders can emerge, but some have been rejected by other demonstrators and even threatened. According to John Lichfield, some in

428-527: A composer and accordion player, who has played in dance halls, music venues and music festivals. According to The Guardian , Mouraud has been "widely credited with starting the yellow vests movement " ( French : gilets jaunes ). Mouraud visibility in the movement came as a surprise to her and others. Her involvement in the movement began in October 2018 when she posted a Facebook video that went viral about France's proposed eco-tax to which she

535-514: A paranormal and ectoplasm center with a friend. In 2018, she was working in Morbihan as a hypnotherapist. Sessions she conducts include helping to get people to stop smoking. She is also an accordion player who has played in dance halls, music venues and music festivals. Mouraud has three grown children and is divorced. Mouraud had a partner who helped support her in 2018. French president The president of France , officially

642-399: A wealth tax , increased pensions , a higher minimum wage , and reduced salaries for politicians. While some commentators have claimed that the movement was a backlash to policies meant to combat climate change, a communique released by the movement calls for a "real ecological policy", including fuel and kerosene taxes for ships and airplanes, but objects to policies like the gas tax that hit

749-482: A 63-year-old pensioner was run over by a motorist in Le Pont-de-Beauvoisin while she was demonstrating at a roundabout at the entrance to a commercial zone. A motorcyclist died after being struck the same day by a van trying to get around a barricade. By 21 November casualties had climbed to 585 civilians and 115 police injured, with 16 civilians and 3 police severely wounded. Protests also occurred in

856-609: A composition for a proposed new French national anthem. She was born on 24 April 1967 in Guérande . She attended Ecole Saint Gildas in Marzan from 1970 to 1978. She next attended College Saint Joseph La Roche-Bernard from 1978 to 1982. After that she attended Lycée Aristide Briand in Saint Nazaire from 1982 to 1986. Mouraud is a hypnotherapist , metapsychist , and parapsychologist . In 2013, she opened

963-431: A further increase of 6.5 cents on diesel and 2.9 cents on petrol planned for 1 January 2019. The taxes collected on sales of fuel are: The protest movement against fuel prices mainly concerns individuals, as a number of professions and activities benefit from partial or total exemptions from TICPE. Though allegedly pro-climate, the protesters criticized Édouard Philippe's second government for burdening households with

1070-591: A majority of votes in the first round of voting, the two highest-scoring candidates arrive at a run-off. After a new president is elected, they go through a solemn investiture ceremony called a passation des pouvoirs ("handing over of powers"). In order to be admitted as an official candidate, potential candidates must receive signed nominations (known as parrainages , for "sponsors") from more than 500 elected local officials, mostly mayors. These officials must be from at least 30 départements or overseas collectivities, and no more than 10% of them should be from

1177-486: A political party that grew out of the yellow vest movement, with the intention of running candidates to run in France's local elections in 2020, sitting out the 2019 European Parliament elections . She stated that the party "won’t be rightwing or leftwing". Her platform for the party includes making a stronger parliament by weakening the powers of the executive, and to bring pay equity between men and women. Her platform

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1284-472: A presidential pardon is that the former clears all subsequent effects of the sentencing, as though the crime had not been committed, while pardon simply relieves the sentenced individual from part or all of the remainder of the sentence. Articles 67 and 68 organize the regime of criminal responsibility of the president. They were reformed by a 2007 constitutional act in order to clarify a situation that previously resulted in legal controversies. The president of

1391-524: A referendum with advice and consent of the cabinet. Article 12 : The president of the republic may, after consulting the prime minister and the presidents of the assemblies, declare the National Assembly dissolved. A general election shall take place not less than twenty days and not more than forty days after the dissolution. The National Assembly shall convene as of right on the second Thursday following its election. Should it so convene outside

1498-419: A residence stipend of 3%, and a function stipend of 25% on top of the salary and residence indemnity. This gross salary and these indemnities are the same as those of the prime minister, and are 50% higher than the highest paid to other members of the government, which is itself defined as twice the average of the highest (pay grade G) and the lowest (pay grade A1) salaries in the "out of scale" pay grades. Using

1605-654: A second motorist was killed after crashing his van into stopped lorries at a barricade on the Arles bypass . More than 100 cars were burned in Paris during the protest on 1 December, and the Arc de Triomphe was vandalised. A man fell into a coma and several people were seriously injured after the yellow vests tore down a 15 ft cast iron railing from the Tuilerie garden. On the following Monday, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo estimated

1712-416: A security detail, a car with a chauffeur, first class train tickets and an office or housing space, as well as a two people who service the space. In addition, funds are available for seven permanent assistants. President Hollande announced a reform of the system in 2016. Former presidents of France will no longer receive a car with chauffeur and the personnel in their living space was cut as well. Additionally,

1819-473: A series of populist , grassroots weekly protests in France that began on 17 November 2018. After an online petition posted in May 2018 had attracted nearly one million signatures, mass demonstrations began on 17 November. The movement was initially motivated by rising crude oil and fuel prices, a high cost of living, and economic inequality. The movement argued that a disproportionate burden of taxation in France

1926-624: A small elite constantly dodges taxes ." At the end of the day, the Interior Minister called for the roundabouts, occupied since 17 November, to be liberated. Demonstrations continued throughout the country. The Ministry of the Interior announced a participation figure almost half that of the previous week with 38,600 demonstrators throughout France, including 2,000 in Paris according to the Prefecture of Police . Versailles Palace

2033-537: A specialist in the history of French trade unionism , the unions were hesitant to join forces with the yellow jackets because the movement included people trade unions traditionally do not represent (business owners and the self-employed) as well as people who simply did not want to negotiate. The presence of far-right elements in the movement was also off-putting to the CGT. A significant number of misleading images and information have been circulated on social media concerning

2140-551: A way that evidently precludes the continuation of their term. Upon the death in office, removal, or resignation of the president, the Senate 's president takes over as acting president. Alain Poher is the only person to have served in this temporary position, and has done so twice: the first time in 1969 after Charles de Gaulle 's resignation and a second time in 1974 after Georges Pompidou 's death while in office. In this situation,

2247-502: A wealth of public transport to choose from, but you need to be rich enough to live in the center of Paris or Marseille or Bordeaux ". The movement has drawn supporters from across the political spectrum. An opinion poll published by the Elabe Institute showed that in the presidential election in May 2017, 36% of the participants voted for far-right candidate Marine Le Pen and 28% for far-left candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon in

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2354-454: A wide range of topics, mostly related to democracy, and social and fiscal justice. Participation in the weekly protests diminished due to violence, particularly due to the loss of eyes, hands, and neurological disorders caused by police blast balls . The protests eventually stopped due to the COVID-19 pandemic in France but continued again after health restrictions were lifted. The movement

2461-495: Is also concerned with climate change and the "cult of consumerism". She announced the creation of the party at a press conference in Orléans . She delayed naming the location of the press conference out of fear that it would be disrupted by others in the officially leaderless yellow vest movement. Mouraud's proposed list for 2020 is to be headed by Ingrid Levavasseur , another well known yellow vest activist. The list emerged from

2568-708: Is not able to act, the Senate will normally name a new president of the Senate, who will act as President of the Republic. During the Third French Republic the president of the Council of Ministers acted as president whenever the office was vacant. According to article 7 of the Constitution, if the presidency becomes vacant for any reason, or if the president becomes incapacitated, upon the request of

2675-518: Is quite powerful. Although the Prime Minister of France , through their government as well as Parliament, oversees much of the nation's actual day-to-day domestic affairs, the French president wields significant influence and authority, especially in the fields of national security and foreign policy . The president's greatest power is the ability to choose the prime minister. However, since it

2782-712: Is supported primarily by populists on both sides of the political spectrum, but rarely by moderates. According to one poll, few of those protesting had voted for Macron in the 2017 French presidential election ; many had shown political alienation by not voting, or had voted for far-right or far-left candidates. Rising fuel prices initially sparked the demonstrations. Yellow high-visibility vests , which French law requires all drivers to have in their vehicles and to wear during emergency situations, were chosen as "a unifying thread and call to arms" because of their convenience, visibility, ubiquity, and association with working-class industries. The protests have involved demonstrations and

2889-525: Is the French National Assembly that has the sole power to dismiss the prime minister's government, the president is forced to name a prime minister who can command the support of a majority in the assembly. Since 2002, the legislative elections are held a few weeks after the presidential; a majority supporting the president's party or at the very least not opposing the president's choice is therefore very likely to be obtained. They have also

2996-694: The Gouvernement , the Constitutional Council may rule, by a majority vote, that the presidency is to be temporarily assumed by the president of the Senate. If the Council rules that the incapacity is permanent, the same procedure as for the resignation is applied, as described above. If the president cannot attend meetings, including meetings of the Council of Ministers, they can ask the prime minister to attend in their stead (Constitution, article 21). This clause has been applied by presidents travelling abroad, ill, or undergoing surgery. During

3103-601: The Chambre des Députés , his successor Jules Grévy promised in 1879 that he would not use his presidential power of dissolution, and therefore lost his control over the legislature, effectively creating a parliamentary system that would be maintained for 80 years until the accession of Charles de Gaulle as president in 1959. Indeed, when the Fourth Republic was created, after the Second World War, it

3210-569: The Champ de Mars . The protests attracted 106,000 people all across France, only 8,000 of whom were in Paris, where the protests turned violent. Protesters lit fires in the streets, tore down signs, built barricades, and pulled up cobblestones. Police resorted to tear gas and water cannons to disperse the protesters. On 26 November, an official estimated that the riots in Paris during the two previous days had cost up to €1.5m ($ 1,680,000) in damage. Two hundred additional workers were assigned to assist with

3317-656: The International Criminal Court (France is a member of the ICC and the president is a French citizen as another following the Court's rules) or where impeachment is moved against them. Impeachment can be pronounced by the Republican High Court, a special court convened from both houses of Parliament on the proposal of either House, should the president have failed to discharge their duties in

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3424-637: The Second French Republic , there was a vice president . The only person to ever hold the position was Henri Georges Boulay de la Meurthe . Four French presidents have died in office: The president of the Republic is paid a salary according to a pay grade defined in comparison to the pay grades of the most senior members of the French Civil Service ("out of scale", hors échelle , those whose pay grades are known as letters and not as numeric indices). In addition they are paid

3531-470: The president of the French Republic (French: Président de la République française ), is the executive head of state of France , and the commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces . As the presidency is the supreme magistracy of the country, the position is the highest office in France. The powers, functions and duties of prior presidential offices, in addition to their relation with

3638-724: The prime minister and government of France , have over time differed with the various constitutional documents since the Second Republic . The president of the French Republic is the ex officio co-prince of Andorra , grand master of the Legion of Honour and of the National Order of Merit . The officeholder is also honorary proto-canon of the Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran in Rome, although some have rejected

3745-414: The 1950s, diesel engines were used only in heavy equipment so, to help sell off the surpluses in French refineries, the state created a favorable tax regime to encourage motorists and manufacturers to use diesel. The 1979 oil crisis prompted efforts to curb petrol (gasoline) use, while taking advantage of diesel fuel availability and diesel engine efficiency. The French manufacturer Peugeot has been at

3852-481: The 2008 "out of scale" pay grades, it amounts to a monthly pay of 20,963 euros, which fits the 19,000 euros quoted to the press in early 2008. Using the pay grades starting from 1 July 2009, this amounts to a gross monthly pay of €21,131. The salary and the residence stipend are taxable for income tax . The official residence and office of the president is the Élysée Palace in Paris. Other presidential residences include: According to French law, former presidents of

3959-526: The 2017 presidential elections. Five Le Monde journalists studied the yellow vests' forty-two directives and concluded that two thirds were "very close" to the position of the "radical left" (Mélenchon, Philippe Poutou and Nathalie Arthaud ), nearly a half were "compatible with" the position of the "far right" ( Nicolas Dupont-Aignan and Marine Le Pen), and that all were "very far removed" from economically "liberal" policies (Emmanuel Macron and François Fillon ). Étienne Girard, writing for Marianne , says

4066-569: The Act. Reconsideration shall not be refused. While the President has to sign all acts adopted by parliament into law, he cannot refuse to do so and exercise a kind of right of veto; his only power in that matter is to ask for a single reconsideration of the law by parliament and this power is subject to countersigning by the Prime minister. Article 11: The president could submit laws to the people in

4173-496: The French overseas region of Réunion , where the situation developed into looting and riots. Schools on the island were closed for three days after protesters blocked access to roads. On 21 November, President Macron ordered the deployment of troops to the island to calm the violence. With the protests in Paris having raised tensions the previous week, the Interior Ministry agreed to allow a gathering on 24 November at

4280-582: The French banks to the Elysée to announce that the banks had agreed to freeze their prices in 2019 and to permanently limit incident-related fees to €25 a month ($ 28/month) for people in extreme financial difficulty, as determined by the Bank of France . In the wake of the 2018 Strasbourg attack , the government asked protesters to stay off the streets. According to the Paris prefecture estimates, there were 8,000 police for 2,200 demonstrators in Paris. The Minister of

4387-476: The Government and terminate their appointments. Article 9 : The president of the republic shall preside over the Council of Ministers. Article 10: The president of the republic shall promulgate acts of parliament within fifteen days following the final adoption of an act and its transmission to the Government. He may, before the expiry of this time limit, ask Parliament to reconsider the act or sections of

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4494-549: The Interior estimated that 66,000 people protested in France on 15 December. Conflict arose in Bordeaux, Toulouse , Marseille, Lyon and the capital. Priscillia Ludosky , in front of the Paris Opera , said over megaphone : "We are exhausted by the colossal pressure of taxation that takes away the energy of our country, of our entrepreneurs, of our artisans , of our small businesses, of our creators and of our workers, while

4601-453: The Republic enjoys immunity during their term: they cannot be requested to testify before any jurisdiction, they cannot be prosecuted, etc. However, the statute of limitation is suspended during their term, and enquiries and prosecutions can be restarted, at the latest one month after they leave office. The president is not deemed personally responsible for their actions in their official capacity, except where their actions are indicted before

4708-559: The Republic have guaranteed lifetime pension defined according to the pay grade of the Councillors of State , a courtesy diplomatic passport, and, according to the French Constitution (Article 56), membership of the Constitutional Council. They also get personnel, an apartment and/or office, and other amenities, though the legal basis for these is disputed. The current system for providing personnel and other amenities to

4815-466: The appropriate ministers. Before the 2008 constitutional reform forbidding them, there was a tradition of so-called "presidential amnesties", which are something of a misnomer: after the election of a president, and of a National Assembly of the same party, parliament would traditionally vote a law granting amnesty for some petty crimes (it was also a way of reducing jail overpopulation). This practice had been increasingly criticized, particularly because it

4922-572: The average person impacted by France's new fuel laws after her video went viral. In November 2018, Mouraud lodged a complaint with the police as a result of defamatory statements made against her and threats she had received from her participation in the yellow vest movement. The defamatory and threatening materials were left in her mailbox. In early December, she was part of a delegation of yellow vest protesters who met with France's Prime Minister Edouard Philippe . In December 2018, Mouraud criticized what she saw as extremists who were trying to hijack

5029-450: The beginning of the movement. The government's method of curbing the budget deficit had proven unpopular, with Macron being dubbed président des très riches ("president of the very rich") by his former boss François Hollande . Late in June 2017, Macron's Minister of Justice, François Bayrou , came under pressure to resign, due to the ongoing investigation into the financial arrangements of

5136-431: The blocking of roads and fuel depots, sometimes developing into major riots, described as the most violent since those of May 68 . The police action, resulting in multiple incidents of loss of limb, has been criticized by politicians and international media; it has sometimes resulted in police officers being charged for their violent behavior. The movement has received international attention. Protesters in many places around

5243-534: The bulk of the carbon tax, while offering exemptions to many carbon-intensive companies. As the carbon tax had progressively been ramping up to meet ecological objectives, many who had chosen fossil fuel-based heating for their homes, outside of the city center—where a car is required were displeased. President Macron attempted to dispel these concerns in early November by offering special subsidies and incentives. Diesel prices in France increased by 16 per cent in 2018, with taxes on both petrol and diesel increasing at

5350-400: The candidate receives less than 5% of the vote, the government funds €8,000,000 to the party (€4,000,000 paid in advance). Advertising on TV is forbidden, but official time is given to candidates on public TV. An independent agency regulates election and party financing. The French Fifth Republic is a semi-presidential system . Unlike most other European heads of state, the French president

5457-512: The case of an emergency. The symbol has become "a unifying thread and call to arms" as yellow vests are common and inexpensive, easy to wear over any clothing, are associated with working-class industries, highly noticeable, and widely understood as a distress signal. As the movement grew to include grievances beyond fuel taxes, non-motorists in France put on yellow vests and joined the demonstrations, as did protesters in other countries with diverse (and sometimes conflicting) grievances of their own. In

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5564-465: The cleanup and repair work. A protest called " Act 3 – Macron Quits  [ fr ] " was organised for 1 December. Yellow vest protestors briefly occupied the runway at Nantes Atlantique Airport and prevented access to Nice Côte d'Azur Airport . Vinci Autoroutes reported tollbooths were blocked on 20 major arteries all across France. It is during a strike by railway workers, in Amiens, that

5671-548: The constitution, or remove a public official from office. The bottom-up Swiss model of government, where referendums are frequent, has been compared to the top-down French governmental system to explain the lack of a similar movement in French-speaking Switzerland. Étienne Chouard , a French economics and law teacher, and a retired dentist named Yvan Bachaud  [ fr ] , who named the RIC , were among

5778-454: The continuity of the State. He shall be the guarantor of national independence, territorial integrity and observance of treaties. Article 8 : The president of the republic shall appoint the prime minister. He shall terminate the appointment of the prime minister when the latter tenders the resignation of the Government. On the proposal of the prime minister, he shall appoint the other members of

5885-534: The country, including 142 in Paris. A motorist was killed on 21 December when his car hit a truck that was stopped at a blockade in Perpignan , the tenth fatality overall. Jacline Mouraud Despite having previously stated she was apolitical, Mouraud created Les Émergents ( English : The Rising ) in January 2019 with the intention of running candidates to run in France's local elections in 2020. The party

5992-458: The duty of arbitrating the functioning of governmental authorities for efficient service, as the head of state of France. Since 2002, the mandate of the president and the Assembly are both five years, and the two elections are close to each other. Therefore, the likelihood of a cohabitation is lower. Among the powers of the president: All decisions of the president must be countersigned by

6099-485: The earliest proponents of such referendums. More recently, several politicians included the idea in their 2017 presidential platforms. The protests began on 17 November 2018, and attracted more than 300,000 people across France with protesters constructing barricades and blocking roads. John Lichfield, a journalist who witnessed the riots, described them as insurrectional. In addition to roads, protesters also blocked as many as ten fuel depots. On this first day of protests,

6206-483: The establishment . Many of the protesters live in tight financial circumstances, often in rural or outer-urban areas where there is "weak economic growth and high unemployment", and where depending on a car for transport is "essential, and increasingly costly". According to the BBC , "It's no accident that cars were the spark that ignited this anger. Not needing one has become a status symbol in France. Those in city centers have

6313-402: The first and second rounds of a presidential election; this means that the president of the Senate can only act as President of the Republic for a maximum period of fifty days. During this interim period, acting presidents are not allowed to dismiss the national assembly, nor are they allowed to call for a referendum or initiate any constitutional changes. If there is no president of the Senate,

6420-471: The forefront of diesel technology, and from the 1980s, the French government favored this technology. A reduction in VAT taxes for corporate fleets also increased the prevalence of diesel cars in France. In 2015, two out of every three cars purchased consumed diesel fuel. The price of petrol (SP95-E10) decreased during 2018, from €1.47 per liter (USD $ 6.57/gallon) in January to €1.43 per liter (USD $ 6.40/gallon) in

6527-406: The former French presidents was devised in 1981 by Michel Charasse , then advisor to President François Mitterrand , in order to care for former president Valéry Giscard d'Estaing and the widow of former President Georges Pompidou . In 2008, according to an answer by the services of the prime minister to a question from René Dosière , a member of the National Assembly, the facilities comprised:

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6634-433: The fuel tax was intended to finance tax cuts for big business (a characterization that French President Emmanuel Macron has objected to, stating that the fuel tax was intended to discourage fossil fuel use as a way to combat climate change ) and including many people motivated by economic difficulties due to low salaries and high energy prices, the yellow vests movement has called for redistributive economic policies like

6741-437: The group Citizen Initiative Rally ( French : Ralliement d’initiative citoyenne ). Mouraud did not necessarily see herself as being part of that list. Mouraud is a composer and accordion player. She has seen her purpose as to bring joy to people through music. She has worked in dance halls and music venues. She has also played at music festivals. In 2014, Mouraud received extensive local news coverage after creating

6848-532: The last week of November. Prices of petrol and diesel fuel increased by 15 per cent and 23 per cent respectively between October 2017 and October 2018. The world market purchase price of petrol for distributors increased by 28 per cent over the previous year; for diesel, by 35 per cent. Costs of distribution increased by 40 per cent. VAT included, diesel taxes increased by 14 per cent over one year and petrol taxes by 7.5 per cent. The tax increase had been 7.6 cents per litre on diesel and 3.9 cents on petrol in 2018, with

6955-493: The level of threats and attacks was such that more and more news organizations decided that every reporter they sent out should be accompanied by a bodyguard, because of the strong aversion the yellow jackets had shown toward journalists and media. A month later, 25 yellow vests prevented Ouest-France from being delivered in parts of the Vendée and Loire-Atlantique because they did not like an editorial. Protesters had also blocked

7062-468: The local Apple Store . Paris experienced protests for the fourth consecutive week. Many shops were boarded up in anticipation of violence, with The Louvre, Eiffel Tower and the Paris Opera also closed. Police assembled steel fences around the Élysée Palace and deployed armored vehicles on the streets in an attempt to limit the violence. In his 10 December speech to the French people in response to

7169-410: The movement extend their hatred of politicians even to any "would-be politicians who emerge from their own ranks". The yellow jacket movement is not associated with a specific political party or trade union and has spread mostly on social media. The yellow vests movement has been described as a populist , grassroots movement for economic justice , opposing what it sees as the wealthy urban elite and

7276-546: The movement in order to hijack it for her own personal and political ambitions. The media has also been highly critical of Mouraud for her comments about the paranormal and ectoplasm . Mouraud is also at times a polarizing figure among others in the yellow vest movement. Some of the criticism is a result of her sharing of " fake news ", for which she has been called out for by media organizations such as 20 minutes . Following Act XIV on 16 February 2019, in response to anti-semitic acts during Saturday's march in Paris, there

7383-510: The movement through violence. She later backed away from protests, instead preferring to see what she saw as a political solution to France's problems. In February 2019, she denounced statements by members of the Italian government about the yellow vest movement, viewing these statements as serious interference into France's domestic political scene. Mouraud was criticized by Priscilla Ludosky and Eric Drouet in mid-January 2019 of being in

7490-470: The movement, Macron pledged a €100 per month increase in the minimum wage in 2019, the exclusion of charges and taxes on overtime hours in 2019, and on any 2018 end-of-year bonuses paid to employees. Macron likewise announced that pensioners on low incomes would be excluded from an increase in the CSG in 2019. He stood by his replacement of the solidarity tax on wealth with increases in property taxes. The broadcast

7597-434: The nation of these measures in a message. The measures must stem from the desire to provide the constitutional public authorities, in the shortest possible time, with the means to carry out their duties. The Constitutional Council shall be consulted with regard to such measures. Parliament shall convene as of right. The National Assembly shall not be dissolved during the exercise of the emergency powers. Article 16 , allowing

7704-437: The nation, the integrity of its territory or the fulfilment of its international commitments are under serious and immediate threat, and where the proper functioning of the constitutional public authorities is interrupted, the president of the republic shall take the measures required by these circumstances, after formally consulting the prime minister, the presidents of the assemblies and the Constitutional Council. He shall inform

7811-520: The occasion for any debate. He can also give an address in front of the Congress of France in Versailles. Outside sessions, Parliament shall be convened especially for this purpose. Article 19 : Acts of the president of the republic, other than those provided for under articles 8 (first paragraph), 11, 12, 16, 18, 54, 56 and 61, shall be countersigned by the prime minister and, where required, by

7918-406: The one figure that gathers wide support in the movement has been dead for thirty-two years: the former humourist and presidential candidate Coluche . Some media outlets were shocked at the hostility they felt from the very beginning of the yellow vest mobilization. The media had been largely supportive of Emmanuel Macron's government since before his election. This unyielding support of his policies

8025-414: The only presidents to date who have served a full two terms (14 years for the former, 12 years for the latter). Incumbent Emmanuel Macron is the fourth president (after de Gaulle, Mitterrand, and Chirac) to win re-election, having done so in 2022 . French presidential elections are conducted using run-off voting , which ensures that the elected president always obtains a majority: if no candidate receives

8132-478: The opening phases of the Second Republic , the title was created for a popularly elected head of state, the first of whom was Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte , nephew of Emperor Napoleon . Bonaparte served as president until he staged an auto coup against the republic, proclaiming himself Napoleon III, Emperor of the French . Under the Third Republic the president was at first quite powerful, mainly because

8239-433: The period prescribed for the ordinary session, a session shall be called by right for a fifteen-day period. No further dissolution shall take place within a year following this election. Article 13: The president of the republic shall sign the ordinances and decrees deliberated upon in the Council of Ministers. He shall make appointments to the civil and military posts of the State. [...] Article 14 : The president of

8346-839: The political party ( MoDem ) he leads. During a radio interview in August 2018, Nicolas Hulot had resigned from the Ministry of the Environment, without telling either the President or the Prime Minister of his plans to do so. Criticized for his role in the Benalla affair , Gérard Collomb tried to resign in October 2018 as Minister of the Interior—leaving himself with only two jobs, as a senator and mayor of Lyon—but saw his resignation initially refused, then finally accepted. In

8453-450: The poor and working class most heavily. No one knows how the high-visibility yellow vest came to be chosen as the symbol and uniform for the movement, and no one has claimed to be its originator. The movement originated with French motorists from rural areas who had long commutes protesting against an increase in fuel taxes, wearing the yellow vests that, under a 2008 French law, all motorists are required to keep in their vehicles and wear in

8560-461: The powers of the president of the republic are exercised by the Gouvernement , meaning the Cabinet. This has been interpreted by some constitutional academics as meaning first the prime minister and, if they are themselves not able to act, the members of the cabinet in the order of the list of the decree that nominated them. This is in fact unlikely to happen, because if the president of the Senate

8667-534: The president a limited form of rule by decree for a limited period of time in exceptional circumstance, has been used only once, by Charles de Gaulle during the Algerian War , from 23 April to 29 September 1961. Article 17 : The president of the republic has the right to grant pardon. Article 18 : The president of the republic shall communicate with the two assemblies of Parliament by means of messages, which he shall cause to be read and which shall not be

8774-414: The president of the Senate becomes Acting President of the Republic; they do not become the new president of the Republic as elected and therefore do not have to resign from their position as President of the Senate. The first round of a new presidential election must be organized no sooner than twenty days and no later than thirty-five days following the vacancy of the presidency. Fifteen days can separate

8881-427: The presidential term from seven years ( Septennat ) to five years (Quinquennat). A maximum of two consecutive terms was imposed after a 2008 constitutional reform . Since the 1962 presidential referendum , the president has been directly elected by universal suffrage ; previously, an electoral college decided the head of state. The length of the presidential term was reduced from seven years to five years following

8988-595: The prime minister, except dissolving the National Assembly, choice of prime minister, and other dispositions referred to in Article 19. The constitutional attributions of the president are defined in Title II of the Constitution of France . Article 5 : The president of the republic shall see that the Constitution is observed. He shall ensure, by his arbitration, the proper functioning of the public authorities and

9095-431: The printing center of the L'Yonne Republicaine newspaper and prevented the newspaper la Voix du Nord from being distributed. International media have also reported on the disproportionate violence used by the French police response against the protestors, including the use of explosive grenades and flashball weapons resulting in multiple incidents of loss of limb and sight by the protestors. According to Stéphane Sirot,

9202-629: The property damages at €3–4 million ($ 3,358,000-4,480,000). Protests turned violent for the second week in a row in Le Puy-en-Velay . Civil unrest marred the Festival of Lights in both Lyon and Saint-Étienne. The A6 motorway was again blocked north of Lyon in Villefranche-sur-Saône . In Bordeaux, after two hours of skirmishes between the police and protesters, rioters took advantage of the situation to set fires and pillage

9309-403: The protests. According to Pascal Froissart, the leaderless, horizontal aspect of the movement contributes to the dissemination of disinformation, as nobody is in charge of public relations or social media messaging. One of the goals of the yellow jackets is to obtain the right to direct initiative , in other words, the right to petition the government at any time to propose or repeal a law, amend

9416-406: The republic shall accredit ambassadors and envoys extraordinary to foreign powers; foreign ambassadors and envoys extraordinary shall be accredited to him. Article 15 : The president of the republic shall be commander-in-chief of the armed forces. He shall preside over the higher national defence councils and committees. Article 16 : Where the institutions of the republic, the independence of

9523-423: The royalist party was strong when the constitutional laws of 1875 were established, and it was hoped that a member of one of the two branches of the royal family would be able to serve as president and turn France into a constitutional monarchy. However, the next legislature was dominated by Republicans, and after President Patrice de MacMahon had unsuccessfully tried to obtain a new royalist majority by dissolving

9630-408: The same département or collectivity. Furthermore, each official may nominate only one candidate. There are exactly 45,543 elected officials, including 33,872 mayors. Spending and financing of campaigns and political parties are highly regulated. There is a cap on spending (at approximately €20 million) and government public financing of 50% of spending if the candidate scores more than 5%. If

9737-463: The same time and a further tax increase planned for 2019, making diesel as expensive as petrol. President Macron bore the brunt of the protesters' anger for his extension of policies implemented under François Hollande 's government. The government decided in 2017 to cut the speed limit on country roads from 1 July 2018 from 90 to 80 km/h (50 mph) with the aim to save 200 lives each year, after research found that "excessive or unsuitable" speed

9844-552: The title in the past. The current president is Emmanuel Macron , who succeeded François Hollande on 14 May 2017 , and was inaugurated for a second term on 7 May 2022. The presidency of France was first publicly proposed during the July Revolution of 1830, when it was offered to the Marquis de Lafayette . He demurred in favour of Prince Louis Phillipe , who became King of the French. Eighteen years later, during

9951-490: The words of one commentator, "The uniform of this revolution is as accessible as the frustration and fury." Éric Drouet and a businesswoman named Priscillia Ludosky from the Seine-et-Marne department started a petition on the change.org website in May 2018 that had reached 300,000 signatures by mid-October and close to 1 million a month later. Parallel to this petition, two men from the same Department launched

10058-535: The world have used the yellow vest as a symbol. About 3 million people have participated in the yellow-vests movement. The issue on which the French movement centered at first was the projected 2019 increase in fuel taxes, particularly on diesel fuel. The yellow vest was an accessible symbol for the protests, as all French drivers have been required to have one in their vehicles since 2008. Already low in early 2018 (47% approval in January 2018), French President Emmanuel Macron 's approval rating had dipped below 25% at

10165-455: The yellow vests protesters first sung On est là ! , a song that has since become the "hymn" of the movement. In Marseille, where demonstrations had been frequent since the 5 November collapse of a building and the evacuation of the surrounding neighborhoods, Zineb Redouane  [ fr ] , an 80-year-old Algerian woman, was fatally wounded by shards from a police tear gas canister while trying to close her shutters. Farther north,

10272-478: Was a parliamentary system, in which the office of President of the Republic was a largely ceremonial one. The Constitution of the Fifth Republic , adopted in 1958, greatly increased the president's powers. A 1962 referendum changed the constitution, so that the president would be directly elected by universal suffrage and not by the electoral college established in 1958. In 2000, a referendum shortened

10379-621: Was an open letter asking Priscillia Ludosky , Mouraud, Ingrid Levavasseur , Drouet, Maxime Nicolle and other yellow vest spokespeople "to condemn the aggression committed against Alain Finkielkraut and the antisemitic remarks of which he was the victim." Early on, as part of Mouraud's involvement in what eventually became the yellow vest movement, she claimed to be apolitical . In October 2018, she claimed this because of her belief that all politicians were corrupt. In January 2019, Mouraud created Les Émergents ( English : The Risen ),

10486-408: Was believed to inspire people to commit traffic offences in the months preceding the election. Such an amnesty law would also authorize the president to designate individuals who have committed certain categories of crimes to be offered amnesty, if certain conditions are met. Such individual measures have been criticized for the political patronage that they allow. The difference between an amnesty and

10593-577: Was carrying a truncheon and would be summoned in court where they would seek to prevent him from coming to Paris. Protesters blocked border traffic to Switzerland at Cluse-et-Mijoux. They were dispersed after one hour by police. Similar operations were conducted at the Spanish, Italian, German, and Belgian borders. Two distribution platforms were blocked in Montélimar : EasyDis ( Groupe Casino ) and Amazon . Overall, at least 220 people were arrested in

10700-399: Was falling on the working and middle classes, especially in rural and peri-urban areas. The protesters called for lower fuel taxes, a reintroduction of the solidarity tax on wealth , a minimum wage increase, among other things. On 29 November 2018, a list of 42 demands was made public and went viral on social media, becoming a de facto structuring basis for the movement. The demands covered

10807-404: Was involved in a third (32 per cent) of fatal road accidents. The change was opposed and was a factor in the rise of the yellow vest movement. It was seen as another tax via citations and a failure to understand the needs of rural residents who are totally reliant on their cars. Vandalism of traffic enforcement cameras grew significantly after the yellow vest movement began. Sparked by claims that

10914-586: Was opposed. The video was 4 minutes and 38 seconds in length, and has over 6 million views. In it, she asked French President Emmanuel Macron : "What are you doing with the money apart from buying new dishes at the Élysée Palace and building yourself swimming pools?" The video was not her first of its kind, with Mouraud having made a similar one at the very beginning of the French presidential elections in April 2017. Mouraud quickly found herself on regional and national television debating French MPs , representing

11021-434: Was preventively closed for the day. Éric Drouet , the 33-year-old truck driver who is one of the most followed yellow jackets on Facebook, was arrested for organizing an undeclared demonstration and participating in a violent assembly. He had called on Facebook for demonstrators to meet at Versailles but then revised the call to Montmartre after it had been announced that Versailles would be closed. Authorities say that Drouet

11128-515: Was threatened by yellow vest protesters in Toulouse who told her "we'll take you out of your car and rape you". On 19 November a BFMTV crew was forced to abandon a protest in the Bordeaux region because they were targeted by protesters who not only hurled insults but also threw stones and beer cans at them. In parallel, many comments and photomontages expressing hatred towards journalists as a whole circulated on "yellow vest" Facebook pages. In December

11235-462: Was to be neither left nor right, and Mouraud did not necessarily see herself as being included on the candidate list. Mouraud is a proponent of pseudosciences. When the yellow vest movement started in November 2018, she primarily made a living as a " hypnotherapist , metapsychist , and parapsychologist ". She has operated a paranormal and ectoplasm center since 2013 in Morbihan . She is also

11342-476: Was watched by more than 23 million people, making it the most-viewed political speech in French history. After investigation, it became apparent that the minimum wage itself would not be raised by €100 a month but that those eligible would see an increase in the activity bonus paid by the CAF . On 11 December, after having declared a state of economic and social emergency the day before, Macron invited representatives of

11449-530: Was widely cited by the yellow vests' as the main cause of this violence. Multiple verbal and physical attacks perpetrated by yellow vests against journalists have been reported and documented throughout the movement. For example in Rouen during the Acte IX, LCI television reporters were attacked by a group of protesters, thrown to the ground and beaten. The same day a reporter for the local newspaper La Dépêche du Midi

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