France during the Fourth Republic (1946–1958)

Abstract

Proportional list representation was used for the first time during the Fourth Republic. A December 22, 1789, decree established an indirect three-round system in a one-member constituency to elect a 745-member parliament. In 1817, it was an indirect three-round election. In 1848, a constituency was the department. The system was multimember majoritarian, each voter having as many votes as members of parliament to elect. In 1852, a majoritarian two-round one-member system became a majoritarian two-round list system in 1871 with the department as a constituency. From 1875 to 1936, with two exceptions, there was a one-member two-round majority system. The 1885 election had a similar system but the one-member constituency was replaced by a list system. The two elections that followed the 1914–1918 war had a mixed three-stage system and the constituency was the department. The first distribution was for the candidates having obtained the absolute majority; the second was for the lists having reached the quotient; and the third was distributed at the highest average.