The political system of France after the 2024 elections

This paper analyzes the transformations of the French political system through the lens of structural changes in the political field, viewing the institutions of the Fifth Republic not as stable legal frameworks but as a dynamic space of contestation in which actors continuously seek to preserve or redistribute power relations. The theoretical and methodological framework is grounded in an institutionalist perspective and theories of political representation, as well as in analyses of shifts in class, cultural, and identity-based cleavages in contemporary French society. The period from Emmanuel Macron's election in 2017 to the snap parliamentary elections in 2024 has been marked by the destabilization of the bipolar order, the tripolarization of the political field, and growing tensions between constitutional architecture and real configurations of power. The dominant role of presidential authority has proven insufficient for stable governance under conditions of political fragmentation, while decision-making increasingly relies on emergency constitutional mechanisms. The paper argues that the current crisis cannot be reduced to mere dysfunction of existing rules but requires a deeper rethinking of the institutional order in light of new social and political dynamics - thus opening the way for exploring alternative models of political representation and constitutional reform.