MPs under the Fifth Republic: Professionalisation within a Weak Institution

Abstract

Despite parliament's apparent pre-eminence, French MPs have seen their institution go into ‘decline’. From radical criticism of parliament's omnipotence under the two preceding Republics, after 1958 it was the weakness of the French Houses and their inability to play their role in full which were being condemned. This article analyses this situation based on new data. It shows that even if the National Assembly has lost some of its former glory, holding office as an MP is increasingly becoming a profession for those elected to it. This article's stance is two-fold: on the one hand it highlights the normalisation process of parliamentary careers and profiles and, on the other, it sheds light on the concomitant factors which have accentuated the professionalisation process. The analysis also shows the key role played by the ‘cumul des mandats' in the structure of political careers in France.