An Assessment on Competitive Capacity of the Political Opposition in France During the Fifth Republic

English (OpenAlex)

The declining trust in political institutions, decreasing voter turnout, and the escalation of peaceful protests into violent actions in France make it necessary to closely examine not only the ruling party but also the political opposition, which is a key stakeholder in the democratic regime. This study addresses the competitive capacity of political opposition under the Fifth Republic through an integrated framework combining neo-institutionalism and political culture theory. While the institutional analysis focuses on constitutional provisions, electoral law, party legislation, and parliamentary procedures, the cultural analysis considers citizens’ attitudes toward authority, participation, and pluralism, drawing on Almond and Verba’s concept of political culture and Dahl’s notion of polyarchy as normative benchmarks. As a single-case study, this research provides a holistic perspective by incorporating both institutional and political culture factors to analyze the conditions that enable or constrain opposition. The study claims that the opposition's capacity to compete effectively depends not only on the nature of legal regulations but also on the strength of the country's democratic political culture. In this context, it is argued that during the Fifth Republic in France, the opposition's competitive power was guaranteed by an institutional framework, but the erosion of democratic political culture created a socio-political environment that limited this power.