List of political parties in France

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France has a multi-party political system, that is to say one in which the number of competing political parties is sufficiently large as to make it almost inevitable that in order to participate in the exercise of power any single party must be prepared to negotiate with one or more others with a view to forming electoral alliances and/or coalition agreements.

The dominant French political parties are also characterized by a noticeable degree of intra-party factionalism, making each of them effectively a coalition in itself.

Since the 1980s, the government of France has alternated between two rather stable coalitions:

It is difficult for parties outside these two major coalitions to make significant inroads, although the National Front has had sizable successes.

But since 2014, the FN has established itself as one of the main political forces alongside the centre-left and the centre-right coalitions finishing in 1st place in the 2014 European elections as well as in the 2015 local elections,[1] although it still didn't manage to win any executives mostly due to the last-ditch alliance between the center-left and the center-right coalitions in Nord-Pas-de-Calais-Picardie region as well as in the South of France.[2] Now many political observers talk about the "tripartisme" (English: tripartism) of the French political landscape.[3][4][5]

Nationwide political parties and leaders[edit]

Major nationwide represented parties[edit]

Acronym and Name National coalition Leader or Chairman Position toward the Cabinet People's Representatives Political Position & ideology European Affiliation
PS: Socialist Party (Parti socialiste) None Jean-Christophe Cambadélis, Interim First Secretary Leading the majority government.
Manuel Valls, Prime Minister
Ministers:
15 / 17

Secretaries of State:
12 / 14
Head of State:
1 / 1
MEP:
12 / 74
senators:
112 / 348
national deputies:
279 / 577
Heads of Regions:
4 / 13
Heads of Departments:
35 / 101
Heads of Metropolis
7 / 12
Heads of Urban communities
5 / 8
Centre-left party divided in motions:
Mobilise the French People for a Successful Change: Social democracy, social liberalism, pro-Europeanism;
Now the Left: Democratic socialism, social democracy, Pro-Europeanism.
Party of European Socialists
MEP:
12 / 754
LR: The Republicans (Les Républicains) None Nicolas Sarkozy, President Leading the parliamentary opposition
Gilles Carrez, president of the Finance Committee of the National Assembly
Gerard Larcher, President of Senate
Head of State:
0 / 1
MEP:
19 / 74
senators:
143 / 348
national deputies:
187 / 577
Heads of Regions:
3 / 27
Heads of Departments:
25 / 101
Heads of Metropolis
3 / 12
Heads of Urban communities
2 / 8
Right-wing party divided in motions:
The Strong Right: Sarkozysm, Liberal conservatism, social conservatism, Christian democracy;
The Social Right: Social liberalism, Gaullism, Pro-Europeanism;
Modern and Humanist France: Economic liberalism, Christian democracy, Pro-Europeanism;
Gaullism, a way forward for France: Gaullism, Souverainism, Christian democracy;
The Popular Right: Souverainism, protectionism, Euroscepticism, economic liberalism, social conservatism, liberal conservatism.
European People's Party
MEP:
19 / 754

Others nationwide represented parties[edit]

Name Acronym National coalition Leader or Chairman Remarks Parliamentaries Political Position European Affiliation
National Front (Front national) FN Marine Le Pen,president right-wing parliamentary opposition MEP:
23 / 74

senators:
2 / 348

national deputies:
2 / 577
Euroscepticism, big tent, right-wing populism, anti-immigration, pro-welfare Movement for a Europe of Nations and Freedom MEP:
23 / 754
France Arise (Debout la France,
formerly Debout la République)
DLF
(DLR)
Nicolas Dupont-Aignan, president Centre-right parliamentary opposition MEP:
0 / 74

senators:
1 / 348

national deputies:
1 / 577
Euroscepticism, Social-Gaullism, republicanism, economic interventionism, EUDemocrats
Centrist Alliance (Alliance centriste) Alli Union of Democrats and Independents Jean Arthuis, president Centre-right parliamentary opposition MEP:
0 / 74

senators:
10 / 348

national deputies:
2 / 577
Christian democracy, liberalism
Christian Democratic Party (Parti chrétien-démocrate) PCD Liaison Committee for the Presidential Majority Christine Boutin, president Centre-right parliamentary opposition MEP:
0 / 74

senators:
0 / 348

national deputies:
2 / 577
Christian democracy, social conservatism
Citizen and Republican Movement (Mouvement républicain et citoyen) MRC Jean-Luc Laurent, president;
Jean-Pierre Chevènement, honorary president
left-wing parliamentary majority MEP:
0 / 74

senators:
1 / 348

national deputies:
3 / 577
democratic socialism, républicanisme, souverainism, patriotism
Citizenship, Action, Participation for the 21st Century (Citoyenneté, action, participation pour le xxie siècle) CAP21 Corinne Lepage, president centrist green parliamentary opposition MEP:
1 / 74

senators:
0 / 348

national deputies:
0 / 577
Green liberalism, Participatory democracy, Centrism
Democratic Convention (Convention démocrate) CD Republican, Ecologist and Social Alliance Hervé de Charette,
Claude Goasguen &
Alain Lamassoure, general secretaries
centre-right parliamentary opposition MEP:
1 / 74

senators:
0 / 348

national deputies:
1 / 577
Liberalism, Centrism
Democratic Movement (Mouvement démocrate) MoDem François Bayrou, president centrist parliamentary opposition MEP:
5 / 74

senators:
7 / 348

national deputies:
2 / 577
Centrism, social liberalism, liberalism European Democratic Party MEP:
9 / 754
Europe Ecology – The Greens (Europe Écologie Les Verts) EELV Emmanuelle Cosse, national secretary Centre-left government member ministers:
2 / 39
MEP:
14 / 74

senators:
10 / 348

national deputies:
17 / 577
Green politics, alter-mondialism, regionalism European Green Party MEP:
47 / 754
Federation for a social and ecologist alternative (Fédération pour une alternative sociale et écologique) FASE Left Front collegiality left-wing parliamentary critical majority MEP:
0 / 74

senators:
0 / 348

national deputies:
2 / 577
altermondialism, communism, eco-socialism
French Communist Party (Parti communiste français) PCF Left Front Pierre Laurent, national secretary left-wing parliamentary critical majority MEP:
2 / 74

senators:
19 / 348

national deputies:
7 / 577
Marxism, environmentalism, feminism, alter-europeanism Party of the European Left MEP:
22 / 754
Left Party (Parti de gauche) PG Left Front Jean-Luc Mélenchon &
Martine Billard, co-presidents
left-wing parliamentary critical majority MEP:
1 / 74

senators:
3 / 348

national deputies:
1 / 577
Democratic socialism, eco-socialism, républicanisme, alter-europeanism Party of the European Left MEP:
22 / 754
Modern Left (La Gauche moderne) LGM Union of Democrats and Independents Jean-Marie Bockel, president centre-right parliamentary opposition MEP:
2 / 74

senators:
2 / 348

national deputies:
0 / 577
liberal, social liberalism, Third Way
Movement for France (Mouvement pour la France) MPF Liaison Committee for the Presidential Majority Philippe de Villiers, president right-wing parliamentary opposition MEP:
1 / 74

senators:
2 / 348

national deputies:
1 / 577
Conservatism, strong law enforcement, anti-immigration, Euroscepticism Libertas.eu MEP:
1 / 754
National Center of Independents and Peasants (Centre national des indépendants et paysans) CNI, CNIP Union of Democrats and Independents Gilles Bourdouleix, president centre-right parliamentary opposition MEP:
0 / 74

senators:
1 / 348

national deputies:
1 / 577
Conservatism
New Centre (Nouveau Centre) PSLE or NC Union of Democrats and Independents Hervé Morin, president centre-right parliamentary opposition MEP:
3 / 74

senators:
12 / 348

national deputies:
12 / 577
Liberalism, Christian democracy
Progressive Unitary Movement (Mouvement unitaire progressiste) MUP Robert Hue centre-left parliamentary majority MEP:
0 / 74

senators:
1 / 348

national deputies:
1 / 577
Democratic socialism, social democracy
Radical Party of the Left (Parti radical de gauche) PRG Radical and ecologist pole Jean-Michel Baylet, president centre-left government member ministers:
3 / 39
MEP:
0 / 74

senators:
12 / 348

national deputies:
12 / 577
Social liberalism, radicalism, euro-federalism
Radical Party (Parti radical) Rad Union of Democrats and Independents Jean-Louis Borloo, president & spokesman centrist parliamentary opposition MEP:
3 / 74

senators:
6 / 348

national deputies:
12 / 577
Liberalism, Republicanism
Territories in Movement (Territoires en mouvement) TeM Union of Democrats and Independents Jean-Christophe Fromantin centre-right parliamentary opposition MEP:
0 / 74

senators:
0 / 348

national deputies:
1 / 577
Liberalism
United Republic (République solidaire) RS Jean-Pierre Grand, president centre-right parliamentary opposition MEP:
0 / 74

senators:
1 / 348

national deputies:
1 / 577
Gaullism, Centrism, Liberal conservatism
New Deal (Political party of France) (Nouvelle Donne) ND Pierre Larrouturrou, co-president;
Isabelle Attard, co-president
Left parliamentary opposition MEP:
0 / 74

senators:
0 / 348

national deputies:
1 / 577
Progressivism, political ecology, humanism, democratic socialism, economic interventionism, participative democracy

Locally represented parties[edit]

Name Acronym National coalition Leader or Chairman Remarks Territorial councillors Political Position European Affiliation
Hunt, Fish, Nature, Traditions (Chasse, pêche, nature et traditions) CPNT Liaison Committee for the Presidential Majority Frédéric Nihous, president right-wing government allied regional:
6 / 1,880
traditional rural values; refusal of environmental legislation and regulations restricting the right to hunt and fish, conservative, Eurosceptic Libertas.eu
Independent Ecological Movement (Mouvement écologiste indépendant) MEI Antoine Waechter, president close with EELV regional:
3 / 1,880
Green politics, Centrism, anti-nuclear
New Anticapitalist Party (Nouveau Parti anticapitaliste) NPA Christine Poupin, spokeswoman far left protester regional:
2 / 1,880
internationalism, eco-socialism, feminism European Anticapitalist Left
Unitarian Left (Gauche unitaire) GU the Left Front Christian Picquet, spokesman left protester regional:
7 / 1,880
anti-capitalism, democratic socialism, internationalism Party of the European Left

Minor parties[edit]

Name Acronym National coalition Leader or Chairman Remarks People's Representatives Political Position European Affiliation
France awakens (Le Réveil de la France) LRF Nicolas Taupin, Sébastien Taupin independent party cartesianism, rationalism, pragmatism, Enlightenment Age
French Action (Action Française) AF Stéphane Blanchonnet far right protester Nationalism, Monarchism, Conservatism, Euroscepticism
Royal Alliance (Alliance Royale) AR Pierre Bernard right protester Monarchism, Conservatism, Euroscepticism
Ecology Generation (Génération Écologie) GE Yves Piétrasanta Close with Radical Party of the Left Green politics, Green conservatism, Centre-right
Workers' Struggle (Lutte Ouvrière) LO Nathalie Arthaud, spokeswoman far left protester trotskyism, internationalism, feminism
New Royalist Action (Nouvelle Action royaliste) NAR Bertrand Renouvin left wing government allied Monarchism, Conservatism, Euroscepticism, gaulism
Workers' Communist Party of France (Parti Communiste des Ouvriers de France) PCOF the Left Front left wing government allied Marxist, Leninist, communism, collectivism
Liberal Democratic Party (Parti libéral démocrate) PLD Aurélien Véron close with MoDem Classical liberalism
Independent Workers' Party (Parti ouvrier indépendant) POI Daniel Gluckstein, Claude Jenet, Jean Markun, Gérard Schivardi far-left protester Internationalism, Marxism, Trotskism, Socialism, Communism, Anarcho-syndicalism, Euroscepticism
Pirate Party (Parti Pirate) PP Maxime Rouquet, Guillaume Lecoquierre neither right nor left protester intellectual property reform, protection of privacy and individual liberty
Democratic Rally (Rassemblement démocrate) RD Philippe Cartellier center-left protester Monarchism, Conservatism, gaulism
Pole of Communist Rebirth in France (Pôle de Renaissance Communiste en France) PRCF Léon Landini far-left protester Marxism, leninism, Communism, Anticapitalism, Nationalism
Marxist–Leninist Communist Organization – Proletarian Way (Organisation Communiste Marxiste-Léniniste Voie Prolétarienne) OCML-VP Collective far-left protester Marxism, leninism, maoism, Communism
Popular Republican Union (Union Populaire Républicaine) UPR François Asselineau neither right nor left protester euroscepticism
French Nationalist Party (Parti Nationaliste Français) PNF Jean-François Simon far right, right wing, nationalist protester euroscepticism, nationalism, conservatism, patriotism

Major regionalist parties[edit]

(with past or present representation in at least a regional council)

French Revolution[edit]

Historical parties[edit]

Political parties in French overseas possessions[edit]

Note: Many of the parties in French oversea possessions have strong ties to counterparts in Metropolitan France.

Overseas departmental parties represented in the National Assembly[edit]

Lists[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]