Q U I G O U V E R N E L A F R A N C E ? N ° 6 8 - Pouvoirs

LSUMMARIESS TANLEY H OFFMANNAre the French governable ?187The French are not ungovernable, despite clichés going back to the pre-Fifth Republic period. But they are often badly governed, when theirleaders and bureaucracy fail to listen to their grievances, and they aren’tgood at governing themselves, for reasons already analyzed byTocqueville and still present.J EAN-CLAUDE C OLLIARDWhat can the President do ?The President’s ability to act is obviously totally different whetherhe commands a parliamentary majority or has to confront a hostilelegislature. In the first case, he has large political resources at hand, andthis allows him to exercise the full range of his powers and also to seizeadditional powers and to set the entire political agenda for the country.In the second case, with the exception of foreign policy, he will find itdifficult even to exercise his own powers as long as his politicalresources are not replenished.G UY C ARCASSONNEWhat does Matignon do ?Although the Prime minister does not always have the power to decidehe has the power to act, as well as the means to do or not to do so. Theconstitutional power, the political power and the judicial power allowP O U V O I R S – 6 8 , 1 9 9 4