Do ministers have to have been elected as MPs?
I remember being told during teacher training that ministers are chosen from elected députés but unlike British MPs they relinquish their député post and there is a by-election to choose a replacement. Mr Macron’s career seems to contradict this – has there been a change? T.S.
A minister cannot also be an MP (député), nor a senator, nor an MEP. This idea started with the (current) Fifth Republic, which began in 1958. General de Gaulle thought that this rule helped make sure the government and parliament were independent from each other.
Once an MP is named as a minister they must within one month be replaced, which is usually by the person who was designated when they were elected to be their suppléant (a stand-in MP, who volunteers to do the job in this kind of situation). Only in certain circumstances, such as if the suppléant has died, is a by-election required.
As for whether ministers have to first have been a député, this is the usual situation but is not obligatory. This is not new; the rules became more flexible in the Fifth Republic.
Someone may be appointed from ‘civil society’ (not elected politicians and not civil servants) if they have a particular skill in a relevant area. A senior civil servant may also occasionally become a minister under certain conditions. Ministers are designated by the president after being proposed by the prime minister (typically, however, apart from where there is a ‘cohabitation’ situation, the choice of ministers is influenced mainly by the president).
