General elections

The general elections take part in the same electoral period as the presidential election. In fact, at first, the presidential mandate of five years was implemented in 2000 by referendum, replacing the seven-years term of office in force since the 20th November 1873 law. Then, the organic law of 15th May 2001 fixes on the third Tuesday of June the end of the powers of the National Assembly, five years after its election, that is to say a few weeks after the election of the President of the Republic. The explicit aim of this compatibility is to reduce the risk of cohabitation and confirm the principle of "subordinate legitimacy", the second election helping confirm the first. For the year 2012, five weeks separate the second round of the election of the President of the Republic, on 6th May, from the first round of the one of the French deputies, on 10th June.

These elections are also marked by two significative changes:

- a redrawing of the legislative constituencies of 2010 to take into account the evolution of the French demography and ensuing from  a demand of the constitutionnal Council, demand which has been renewed since 1999 to the different successive governments. The total number of deputies, 577, who now has been registered in the Constitution since the consitutionnal reform of July 2008, nevertheless keeps unchanged. 

- the election for the first time of deputies representing French people outside France. In fact the July 2008 constitutionnal reform establishes that <<French people ouside France are represented at the National Assembly and at the Senate>> (article 24).  Therefore a bill was presented in September 2008 at the council of ministers so that French people outside France now are represented at the National Assemnly with, if the bill is adopted as is, the election of deputies with majoritary uninominal ballot in two rounds (similar to the way of electing the other deputies) with new constituencies outside the French territory. Until now, French people abroad was ony represented at the Senate with 12 senators elected by the foreign French people Assembly. Those deputies will be able to be elected by the Internet, which made some parties react, in particular about the problem of the security of voting, the inability of counting votes and the possibility of compulsion of voters.