Fifth Republic

France's crisis of government - the most serious in the Fifth Republic - has led to a major shift in power, away from the Elysée and towards the prime minister and parliament.

Under the political system of France's Fifth Republic, the president is elected for five years and then appoints a prime minister whose choice of cabinet is then appointed by the president.

For many it is a crise de régime which is being played out, with the very future of the Fifth Republic institutions in jeopardy.

The Fifth Republic was created to concentrate power in the hands of Charles de Gaulle at a time of national crisis.

He is now expected to become the shortest-lived prime minister in France's Fifth Republic, with the left wing bloc in the National Assembly, as well as the far-right, predicted to back the motion against him.