Wyznaczanie okręgów wyborczych we francuskiej tradycji ustrojowej

Abstract

Designing Constituencies in the French Political Tradition The article analyzes the French redistricting process (redécoupage) since 1789, tracing both the evolution of relevant legal norms through the transformations in the political regime and the electoral system, and the actual political practice – what were the driving forces behind consecutive redistrictings, how the districting rules and district boundaries themselves were manipulated for partisan and individual political gain, and how did the resultant district maps measure against standards such as electoral equality and political neutrality. The article concludes that while the French redistricting process remains highly politicized when compared with other European countries, the 2008 constitutional reforms and the changes resulting from them were substantial steps towards greater transparency. Moreover, there is no persuasive evidence that recent redécoupages were systematically manipulated for political purposes by the governing parties.

Keywords

• French electoral system
• redécoupage in France
• redistricting