MARCELLO GUERRA

Il governo Mendès France e i caratteri della forma di governo parlamentare in Francia 

N. 179

Summary — An important moment in the history of the French Fourth Republic was that which followed the military downfall of Diên-Biên-Phu, involving the government of headed by the radical leader Pierre Mendès France, which proposed changes with respect to the Grévy Constitution through a strengthening of the Premier at the heart of the Ministry, a relationship of trust with the parliament and the restitution of legislative power to the government. Mendès France was not just the mastermind of the constitutional reform of 1954, but also was the man who conceptualized the need to tie the head of government contractually to the National Assembly for the entire duration of a legislature by means of the inaugural speech, and to the people by means of a pact which obliges the Premier to explain his political action not only in Parliament but also before the nation. The mendèsian theory, which identifies in radio-transmitted information the primary means to democratic participation for an electorate not dominated by political parties, is, however, resented by the parties, and runs up against a reluctance, typical of the French parliamentary tradition, to accept heads of government who address themselves directly to the electors, so evading the political syntheses formulated by the parties.