Cohabitation

Explanation

Cohabitation occurs in semi-presidential systems (most famously France) when the president belongs to one political camp but the parliamentary majority — and therefore the prime minister — belongs to another. During cohabitation, the president retains control of foreign policy and defense but loses effective control of domestic policy to the prime minister. France experienced three periods of cohabitation: 1986-88 (Mitterrand/Chirac), 1993-95 (Mitterrand/Balladur), and 1997-2002 (Chirac/Jospin). The 2000 reform aligning presidential and legislative terms made cohabitation less likely, but the political fragmentation following the 2024 snap election showed it remains possible.