France is a unitary state which is a semi-presidential system mainly based on the French constitution of the Fifth Republic. The Prime Minister is the head of government and the President acts as head of state. France is considered a democratic republic because it has a Prime Minister and a President. The French government is divided into three different branches. There is the executive power, the legislative power and the judicial power. The executive power is composed of the Prime Minister and the President. The Prime Minister is appointed by the majority party but must be elected by the President for a lifetime mandate. The president usually chooses a member of the National Assembly to become the new prime minister. The prime minister's main objective is to manage the French government and national defense. The National Assembly is one of the chambers of the political system. There are 577 seats in this house. These members are elected and serve a five-year term. They are important to the daily operations of the French government. They focus on overall economic activity and tend to win disagreements over the Senate. The Senate is the supreme chamber of the French political system. Since the number of seats depends solely on population, this number is constantly changing, but currently there are 348 seats. These members are elected on the basis of an electoral college and serve a six-year term. These members focus on constitutional issues and foreign affairs. The French legal system consists of two main parts, public law and private law. Private law includes civil law and criminal law. Public law includes administrative law and constitutional law. Private civil law deals with corporate law and law...... middle of paper...... standards and regulations when manufactured and sold for import. Products such as wood, packaging materials and refrigeration appliances only have to comply with regulations at the time of importation. You cannot import live animals that are potentially threatened or protected. Food products must come from EU approved locations. Agricultural products must be approved before importation. There are many areas in France where corruption can take place, even where there are laws intended to prevent corruption. Some areas where corruption is most prevalent are elections, where political figures use public funds for their own election campaigns. Bribery is also one of the most common forms of corruption in France. Some companies and politicians are under investigation for making fraudulent payments to countries..